Finding Hope
by ElijahsElena
Summary: The pit stole her past, her life, her family. Nothing mattered, until she found someone who'd been there.
1. Chapter 1

"Mom? Dad?"

Hope wondered the never ending darkness, terrified as she searched for her parents. Where was she? One minute she was in the garden painting a picture and waiting for her dad to join her, and the next, she was being thrown into tar. Now, she was here, wherever here was. Where was her family? Would her family be looking for her? How had she gotten here?

"Hello?"

She strained to hear something, anything, but there was nothing, except for herself and she started to cry.

"MOM! DAD!"

In an effort to see better, she raised her hands and cast a spell for light.

No sooner had the spell left her mouth that a vortex of light appeared and she was dragged towards it.

"Mom! Help me!"

When she landed, Hope found herself lying in an empty pit surrounded by machinery. She scrambled to her feet and climbed up the wall.

"How are you here?"

Hope looked up at the man on the balcony.

"Where am I?"

"Triad Industries headquarters." The man looked her over carefully. "What are you?"

Years of having her mother warn her to keep quiet about who and what she was held her tongue and she stared at the man as she climbed up out of the pit to the balcony.

"Tell me, who are you?"

"I wanna go home!"

"There is no home for you to go back to."

"My parents will be looking for me!"

"No. They won't. They don't even remember you exist. You have no where to go."

"No! My parents love me! They would never forget me!"

"According to the recordings I just watched, you were thrown into the pit. And that pit, it erases everyone from memory. Unfortunately for us, you dragged in the one who threw you in with you and apparently, he never wrote anything down since he records everything on a body cam, so we have no idea who or what you are."

"I don't believe you."

"I can take you to your family, if you'll tell me who they are and where to find them."

Hope clamped her mouth shut and stared him down. If she told them where her family was, they'd try to throw them into the darkness too.

"Won't you tell us anything about yourself?"

"I'm seven. Not stupid." She was a Mikaelson. She would protect her family, no matter what. Like her mom did while Aunt Freya looked for a cure, Hope would do the same. She would keep her family safe, no matter what.

"If you won't tell us who you are, I'm just going to have to kill you." The man pulled a pistol out of his jacket.

"Wait." A woman entered the room.

"Mrs. Greasley."

"Whatever she is, she had the power to destroy Malivore. Which means she could be a valuable asset now that Malivore is no longer an option."

"We don't even know what she is or what made him throw her in. She needs to be put down!"

"She's a child with unknown power. We can mold her however we choose and depending on just what she can do, we could have a weapon more powerful than Malivore at our disposal." Mrs. Greasley walked up to Hope and sat on her heels. "Welcome to Triad."

_Mom, Dad. Where are you?_


	2. Chapter 2

_ELEVEN YEARS LATER_

The acrid scent of smoke hung thick in the air as whatever monster Malivore spat out this time to try to bring himself back terrorized the area. Hope leaned back in her seat, staring at Agent Burr as she waited for the command to go.

"Send in the asset!" Mrs. Greasley finally screamed into Burr's headset.

How many times had she heard that command since they realized exactly what she could do? How many lives had she stolen because she had no where to go and Triad no longer had anywhere to put their monsters?

It didn't matter anymore. All that mattered now about now was the next mission, the next take down, the next kill.

Nameless and alone, just like they wanted her to be.

"You're up, freak."

Agent Burr shoved her towards where Veronica Greasley was holding down behind a truck.

Hope found her boss lying on the ground, hiding from the monster, near two men, one older with lighter hair, and the other appeared to be in his mid-twenties with dark curly hair. With them was a pair of teenage girls, one dark haired, one blonde, along with a boy in his mid to late teens with dark skin and dreads.

"So we're bringing in civilians now?" she asked as she pulled out her bow.

"Just do your job and keep your mouth shut."

"When I do kill you, Burr, I would consider sending a heartfelt apology to your family, if I did in fact have a heart."

"That's a little rude to say to your comrades." The dark haired stranger smirked as he spoke, the quirks of his lips sending a quick spark of… something down her spine.

"Comrade is a bit much, and if you get in my way, I'll have you for dessert." She found herself unable to resist looking him up and down. He was the perfect male specimen, tall, lean, and too pretty for his own good.

"Don't make threats you can't follow through with." He bit his lower lip and his smirk deepened.

"What's the situation?" She raised an eyebrow at the bold man as she addressed Veronica. If she kept this conversation going, she just might do something stupid to wipe that expression off his face, like bite his lower lip.

"Dragon. As we suspected."

"How do we kill it?" the boy with the dreads asked.

"Witches and vampires working together, and a whole lot of courage between them," the dark haired man said. Glancing at the girls and the boy with the dreads, he added, "And generally, those who've actually faced combat."

"So, they're not just civilians, they're green civilians. I'm surrounded by idiots."

"You think you can do this better than we can?" the blonde girl demanded.

"Of course. It's why I'm here. Because I never lose," Hope said as she double checked her weapons.

"Here's hoping you die, finally," Burr muttered.

"Don't tell me you won't miss me." She stood up and pulled the bow out of its sheath on her back and nocked an arrow.. "If I'm dead, it means I won't be around to save your ass while you claim my actions as yours."

The dragon roared and more flames shot out at the surrounding woods.

"That's my cue," she said as she she took off running towards the sound.

As the dragon spread its wings, she sprang into the air.

No fear. Nothing. This was an assignment, just like any other, and when the dragon was dead, she would hunt for the latest portal that Malivore created. No one in Triad was aware that Malivore was creating new portals or that they were where these monsters were coming from and since they didn't ask, she didn't feel like she had to tell them. If they knew, they'd start throwing people in again.

Running along its side, she shouted a spell, forcing the dragon to twist in the air, so that its belly was facing the sky It opened its mouth, it's throat glowing with the flames and she fired her arrow into the roof of its mouth. The dragon fell out of the sky and hit the ground with a heavy thud and she rolled, catching her feet as she nocked another arrow.

The dragon shuddered as it transformed into his human body. It turned to stare at her, blood dripping from his mouth and she shot two more arrows into him. The dragon stumbled and she raced to his side and yanked her knife out of her boot to stab it twice in the neck.

All too easy. Malivore should have learned by now that she wasn't just a hybrid any more, but a full fledged tribrid and he hadn't changed tactics.

Brushing off her clothing, she straightened up and walked towards the people staring at her.

"You've got a humanity free vampire in your ranks with only guns to protect yourself from her?" The older turned to Veronica, shock on his face.

"She's useful."

"I don't care how useful she is, she's a ticking time bomb."

"She's a fighter, unlike any I've ever seen before. We can't turn her loose just because she's a little cold."

"Humanity free vampires doesn't feel fear or loyalty. The only reason she's still with you is because it's convenient. As soon as it's no longer beneficial for her, she will turn on you."

"She's been with us for eleven years now and hasn't turned on us yet," Veronica said, her voice so arrogant that Hope almost wanted to snap her neck just to prove a point.

"She will. Once she gets what she wants, she'll either just walk away or she'll kill you."

"She doesn't want anything. She just does her job and goes home."

"I do want something. I'm just waiting for the opportunity for it to show up," Hope cut in, finally bored with Veronica's assumption that she could be controlled if she didn't want to be.

"What do you want?" Veronica glanced at her, fear ghosting across her face before she schooled her features once more.

"If I wanted you to know, I'd tell you." She smiled and walked towards the woods.

"You're not with them just out of convenience, are you? They have something you want and you're playing the long game to get it," The smirking, dark haired man fell into step beside her, though his eyes were serious this time.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"As if."

"Will you at least tell me your name?"

She stared at him for a long moment before saying, "Mikayla. My name is Mikayla."

"Liar."

"It's what I go by."

Hope inhaled, searching for that scent she knew so well, but what reached her nose had her glancing at the man beside her. He was connected to Malivore. Though his scent was different enough that she knew he wasn't the monster who'd erased her from the collective consciousness, he smelled enough like Malivore for her to know, they were the same species. What did he know about the monster she wanted to destroy?

Pushing her questions to the back of her mind, Hope turned away from the man beside her and continued her hunt. She didn't have much time before Malivore realized the dragon failed in its objective and another monster would be required.

"If you could tell me what we're searching for, I might be of more help."

"What _I'm _searching for." Hope rolled her eyes.

"I might be more useful to you than you think I am."

"I've been fine without you this long."

"I've been around for a while, so you never know just how helpful I can be."

"Will you be quiet? You are beyond annoying."

"I thought that humanity free vampires were supposed to feel nothing."

He smirked again when she looked at him and shrugged.

Drawing a deep breath to keep from doing something that would cause her trouble later that she wasn't in the mood to deal with, she walked a little faster, following her nose towards the scent of the monster that took her life.

"Seems like you're not as certain about your decision to abandon your emotions as you want people to think."

"You have a lot of opinions you have to right to have."

"If you say so."

Suddenly, she drew to a stop. There it was. The portal.

Lifting her wrist to her mouth, she bit down, then allowed her blood to flow into the slime. It bubbled and glowed for a moment, then disappeared.

"That was unexpected." He caught her arm, turning her to face him.

"What?"

"What are you?"

"I'm no one." Hope headed back towards the truck waiting to take her back to Triad HQ.

"Because you know what it's like to be trapped in the endless darkness?" he called after her. "To be all alone and no matter how loud you scream, no one answers because no one is there? And then to be thrown out, only to find out no one remembers you?"

"How do you know anything about it?" Hope paused.

"If you tell me your real name, I'll tell you my story," he offered, that smirk back in place.

"Pass." If he didn't shut up, she was going to slap him on principle.

"Maybe one day, you'll change your mind."

"Don't hold your breath."

"Not like it'd kill me if I did."

Hope found herself wanting to know more about this strange man, but the habit of keeping quiet about her family sealed her lips. If the worst tortures that Triad could inflict on her kept her silent, aside from nearly giving them her last name, which is where the name they called her now came from, what power did a pair of pretty, dark eyes have?

"You know there's more to life than bowing down to Triad and being their slave, which is all you are to them. You know this," the man said, his voice soft, serious.

Hope studied him for a moment, then turned back towards the trucks.

She didn't need him making her question her goals now. Except he seemed to know about the pit, far more than anyone involved in Triad and that's what she wanted, to know more about the pit and how to destroy it for good.

But could she trust him? No one else she'd encountered that had been in the pit had proved to be worth investing her time in cultivating them as an ally. So why think this one could be? Except this one had friends and allies, unlike the others.

When Hope climbed into the jeep across from Veronica and Agent Burr, they both stared at her.

"Is there something on my face?"

"That man tonight, you let him go with you," Veronica said, her accusations clear.

"And?" Hope raised an eyebrow, then leaned her head against the back of the seat.

"You never let anyone go with you on your little side missions."

"And you think it means something? The fact that I let a hot guy go with me? Maybe I was hoping he'd screw me up against a tree."

"You're planning something," Burr growled.

"If I was planning something, you'd be the last to know." Hope peeked at him from under her lashes and then closed her eyes again.

"We saw you two talking, Mikayla when you came back. And you expect us to not think there's nothing going on?"

"It sounds like you've been listening to Burr too much and we both know he hates me." Turning her attention to the other agent, she added, "Keep dreaming, Burr. Maybe one day you'll actually get something right."

Even as she spoke, she knew that the damage had been done. Burr was going to try to kill her, for real this time, and Veronica would likely help him, since those strangers had put it into their heads that she was going to kill them sooner rather than later.


	3. Chapter 3

"What are you planning?" Veronica shouted.

"None of your business." Hope crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap.

"You spent enough time with that man for me to think otherwise."

"You've spent too much time with Burr. You're not thinking clearly."

"Dr. Saltzman seems to think you're plotting against us even now."

"If I wanted you dead, you would be already."

That was clearly the wrong thing to say, because from nowhere, Burr pulled out a gun and put it too her head and Hope twisted his arm around. With that, the fight was on.

Hope spun out of the way and kicked a large man down, sinking her fangs into his neck as she did so. The idiot hadn't even bothered to try taking vervain and she drained every ounce of blood from him all the while using him as a shield from the other shooters.

"She's immune to Malivore bullets!" Burr screamed. "Stop wasting them!"

There. The one she needed to take out. If she was going to kill anyone, it was going to be Burr for all the pain he'd caused her before she'd become a full tribrid and for the annoyance he still was now that she no longer felt much in the way of human emotions.

With a vicious snarl and her wolf teeth bared, she jumped for him and grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to the floor and stared down at him.

"You bitch." For all his bravado, now that he was faced with her full fury, he was terrified. "You're nothing but an animal wearing a human face."

"Sticks and stones, sweetheart. I feel nothing, but the thought of terrifying you as I kill you, well, I just can't resist."

With that, she tore out Burr's throat with an extra level of savagery, draining him as quickly as she could.

Behind her, someone else fired a gun at her, but the bullet barely registered as it struck her. Had they not heard Burr telling them that she was immune to Malivore mud bullets? Why keep waste their precious ammunition on her? It wasn't as though she would tell them where to find a portal so they could make more.

Hope scoffed and leaped for the shooter, breaking his back as she landed and he died with a gurgle.

Another man started to run towards her and Hope swept his legs out from under him and snapped his neck. All too easy. After fighting monsters for so long, she forgot just how quickly humans fell beneath her blows.

A second and a third agent fell quickly, followed by a fourth.

The next one to fall didn't go down so easily. Hope's blood was up now and she wanted to cause destruction, so she tore him apart with a ferocity that would have surprised her had she been able to feel anything.

Two more came at her and they met similar fates. She truly was her father's daughter and even if he didn't remember her, it was time she embraced her heritage.

Who was left for her to take out? Most of the base seemed to have gone quiet, aside from the shrill of the alarms as the agents fled once they realized that the one person they couldn't kill had finally turned on them.

There was still a heartbeat though and Hope looked around to find Veronica attempting to hide behind an overturned table, the scent of fear hanging thick in the air around her.

"He was right about you," Veronica breathed as Hope advanced on her.

"Alaric Saltzman has been around the supernatural for decades. There's very little he doesn't know about the protected species." Hope bared her fangs. It wasn't as though she needed to feed now. Killing as many as she had would sustain her for a few days at least, but killing Veronica would be a pleasure she couldn't deny herself. Not after what was done to her at the older woman's command.

Before she could strike, Hope found her world spinning and she buckled. The last thing she saw before her world went dark was a pair of dark eyes set above a perfect nose and plump lips. And her last thought was what was the pretty boy doing here?

When she woke up, she found herself in a cage, unable to access the magic she'd known her entire life. Blinking in confusion she sat up and looked down at herself. She was still wearing her battle stained clothing, fortunately, so wherever she was, they weren't interested in anything she wasn't willing to give them.

As she moved, a flash of gold in the dim light caught her eye and she found herself battling the switch. Wrapped around her wrist was the chain her family gave her to shield her from Dahlia. The last time she'd seen it was when she'd taken it off so she could cast a spell right before Triad took her, and now, it was hers once again. As odd as it was to no longer have magic, seeing this small piece of her past come back to her, it left her feeling off balance.

"Don't bother trying to use magic and don't try to take that chain off," the older man from the other night said.

His interruption enabled her to push her feelings back down and the switch was firmly in the 'off' position once more.

"It will keep your magic contained until we feel we can trust you."

"I'm aware." Hope stared at him and leaned back against the wall, drawing one foot up onto the narrow cot.

"That chain, how do you know it?" It was the dark haired man.

Hope didn't reply, not trusting herself to keep the switch in place if she tried to talk about the bracelet. This piece of jewelry, made specifically to protect her, and now it was in the hands of strangers. Seeing the full evidence of just what it meant to be forgotten, it tested her in a way she wasn't expecting.

It would seem that she still had one weakness. The family she'd been ripped away from, the family who'd sacrificed so much so that she could live and now they no longer had any memory of her. They wouldn't even look for her, because they had almost no pictures of her for them to try to figure out who she was since it had been too dangerous to leave evidence she was alive or who she was prior to them waking up the wounded family members after they'd been healed.

Hope blinked a few times, forcing those memories back safely beneath the switch. That girl was dead and gone. Hell, maybe it was time to stop thinking of herself as Hope and just become Mikayla even in her thoughts. It would certainly make things easier to pretend that being a part of a family that had loved her once upon a time was nothing more than the dreams of a girl who had nothing. She was nothing, no one, with no reason for anyone to come after her or try to use her against anyone.

"Dad? If you don't need me anymore, would it be okay if I went upstairs?" the blonde girl asked. "Josie got pretty messed up seeing what we did and she needs me right now."

"Go on upstairs, Lizzie. And tell Josie I'm sorry you girls had to witness what you did."

"This is what happens when you bring children in to battle," Hope commented. "You knew what a humanity free vampire could be like, that the smallest provocation could send me into a murder frenzy, and yet you still brought your children around me."

"We needed witches who could siphon off any spells you decided to cast."

"Still, a smarter man would have found a better way of handling someone like me. Or dealing with a dragon for that matter." Hope smirked as his mouth tightened. Good. If he was going to trap her in a cage, the least he could do was be annoyed too.

"So why did you do it? Why turn on them?" The dark haired man asked.

Hope raised an eyebrow, but remained silent.

"In case you're wondering where you are, you're at the Salvatore School for the Gifted. I'm Dr. Alaric Saltzman, headmaster here and this is Ryan Clarke, our Monster Lore instructor."

"Actually, I wasn't wondering, but thanks for providing that information. Who knows what I might do with it later?" Let them make of that what they would. The less sure footed they were about her, the more she could find out about them to use later.

Alaric stepped closer to the bars. "How is it that a heretic ended up working for Triad? Last I checked they weren't interested in taking on supernatural agents."

"You have a prison in the basement of your school?" Hope retorted.

"This is a werewolf changing cell, not a prison. It's to protect our students from when the werewolf students need to transition, particularly our vampire students." Alaric sounded indigent at the accusation.

"Bars, check, narrow cot check, lock on the door, check, annoying guards, double check. It's a prison." Hope lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.

"We're offering you a chance to become better than you are. That's why you're here" Alaric said.

"You say that like I should care about my current state of being. Everything was fine until you planted that bug in Veronica Greasley's ear about me turning on her. Burr, I could handle. All I had to do was make fun of him and my track record spoke for the rest. But you had to go and confirm what he said."

"You were in the middle of wiping out the entire Triad force when we found you."

"They tried to kill me, so I did what I had to to stay alive."

"If you want to continue staying alive, you'll do as we say," Alaric snapped. "Including checking the behavior that landed you in this cell."

"They had it coming. I'd think even you would say they deserved it if you knew exactly what they did to me. And no, I'm not referring to them trying to kill me whenever it was you found me." She rested her hand under her head and made herself more comfortable.

"What did they do to you?" Ryan asked, his brows furrowing.

"As if you'd care what they did to a freak who fits in nowhere." Hope smiled.

"Alaric, I was wondering if I might speak to her alone."

"Not so sure that leaving the one who started Triad alone with her is such a good idea, all things considered."

"I haven't been in control of Triad since the fifties and even then they were becoming something I never intended for them to be." Ryan sighed as if this was a conversation was one they'd had many times before.

"You started Triad?" Hope stood up. So he was who she had to thank for what happened to her?

"Yes." Ryan hung his head, his mouth tightening. He raised an eyebrow at Alaric.

"I'll leave you to it then. But don't blame me if you get put down for a while." Alaric left them then.

"You started Triad and now you're ashamed of it. But you started it in the fifties, which means that you're not human to have lived that long without looking it. So why do it?"

"It's a long story."

Hope sat down and crossed her legs. "Since it seems I'm going to be stuck here for a while, or at least until Mr. Craw up his ass decides I can be a good girl, so I've got time."

"I would much rather not tell my story to someone with no humanity, but since you've obviously suffered because of them, I suppose I owe you an explanation of how your torment came to be." He set a wooden chair across from her and sat down.

"So, how long of a story are we talking about?"

"One that spans centuries."


	4. Chapter 4

After Ryan finished his tale, Hope's mind was in a whirl. She understood her family not searching for her. Why should they? They had no memory of her and few pictures to prove she ever existed. But for Malivore to do what he did to his own children?

"And I thought I was heartless," she said finally.

She realized that she'd leaned forward with her wrists braced on her knees sometime during his story, but she didn't bother moving.

"Abandoning your emotions doesn't make you heartless. It just means you reached the limit on what you can endure. But thank you for the sentiment." His lips pulled up like he wanted to smirk, but the expression fell flat. "If even someone who doesn't feel emotion sees what he did as monstrous, it helps."

"Helps what?" Hope tilted her head to the side as she studied him.

"It helps to drive home that it's not my fault that my father didn't love me."

"Your father?" Hope snorted. "I would say that calling him a sperm donor would be a more fitting description, except that you're different. So I'll say more like your sire or creator. Because fathers are supposed to protect and love their children."

Ryan stared at her for a long time, his dark eyes curious.

"What? Something on my face?"

"You miss them. Your family."

"My family doesn't even know I exist, so there's no point in missing them."

"But you miss what might have been."

"What's done is done. There's no point in pining for what might have been."

"But it helped in your decision to flip the switch, didn't it?" he guessed.

Hope sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Did I hit too close to home?" The smirk was back.

"You're not going to make me flip it back on by reminding me of all the reasons I stopped feeling in the first place." Hope leaned back against the wall and pulled her foot up.

"Don't worry about me trying to force you to come back to yourself. If you do flip the switch, it will be because it's what you want. No one will try to force you to change."

"No torturing? No desiccating me until I give in?" Hope sneered.

"People usually flip the switch in response to trauma. Forcing you to endure even more pain on top of what made you turn it off? Pure foolishness, in my opinion."

"At least we agree on something."

"For different reasons, I'd imagine."

"I'm not interested in being tortured and you're not interested in torturing me. So who really cares about reason."

"I'll have Kaleb bring you a few bags of blood." Ryan stood up.

"You mean Headmaster Stick-Up-His-Ass actually allows vampires to drink blood?"

"Animal blood."

"Of course he'd have them on the bunny diet." She rolled her eyes.

"If you'd rather starve then go on the bunny diet, that's entirely up to you." Ryan brushed off some imaginary dust off his jacket.

"Pass on the bunny blood. It might still have fur in it."

"Well, if you change your mind, all you have to do is ask."

"Or I can get something on the go." Hope raised an eyebrow.

"No killing the students," Alaric said as he walked back into the room.

"Pity. I'm surrounded by all this blood and you're saying I can't drink it." Hope pointed overhead where the sound of dozens of heartbeats floated down to her. Her nostrils flared as she took in the around her. "Someone here isn't one of the protected species, nor are they a human."

"My half brother, Landon. He's a phoenix, though he looks completely human."

"So if he dies, he comes back in a blaze of glory?"

"Something like that, yes."

"So I wouldn't be the only freak around." That would be refreshing. Being the only one who was different around got old after a while, especially when that was all anyone could talk about, how different she was.

"If you abide by campus rules, you will be welcomed here for as long as you like, Mikayla," Alaric said.

Hope stared at the far wall, as she considered her options.

She didn't want to stay in the dungeon forever, but getting out meant agreeing to be nice to people. Was that so bad though? She wouldn't be able to drink from humans regularly, but she could do without for a bit while she got her bearings. Besides, they didn't say she couldn't leave campus to go hunting in one of the larger cities nearby. And where better to re-familiarize herself with the supernatural as one of them than at a school?

"Fine, I'll play by your rules, while I'm on campus or in the nearby town."

"What do you want in exchange?" Alaric asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out if I want you to."

Ryan smirked as if he already knew the answer, though Alaric didn't see it since his focus was still on Hope.

"Just know that what I want has nothing to do with you or your school, nor should any harm come to anyone you care about from me getting what I want."

"Bracelet stays on, no revealing yourself to the humans, and no killing other students."

"Those are your only rules?"

"Those are the rules my vampire students have to abide by, aside from the bracelet, but I'll think of more if you act out."

Standing up, Hope approached the bars as she said, "I can assure you that I will do my best not to traumatize your students too terribly while I'm here."

"You report to a member of staff every evening, just so we can keep track of you." Alaric did his best to seem calm and cool, but his pulse raced and his jaw ticked with his nerves of facing a humanity free vampire with unknown powers.

"Him." Hope nodded towards Ryan.

"Well, Clarke? Will you accept responsibility of her?"

"I'll accept her reporting to me, but if she misbehaves, that's on her."

"Fine with me." Hope shrugged.

"Alright, Mikayla. We're going to let you out. But if you act up, we will drop you and bring you right back here." Alaric unlatched the lock and the door slid open.

Hope walked out of the cell and looked from one man to the other.

"Clarke, give her a tour of all the places relevant to her. I'll be in my office if you need anything."

"Alright, Mikayla," Ryan said her name in a way that suggested he knew that wasn't her name. "Let's get started."

As they walked down the hall, more than a few students turned to watch her.

"Nosey bunch, aren't they?" Hope glanced at Ryan.

"Perhaps the tour can start at the showers so you can get cleaned up. It might help with the stares if you're not covered in blood."

Ryan led the way to a huge closet full of clothing.

"Not enough black," Hope commented.

"Just get some clothes," Ryan sighed. "You can get black clothing later."

"You could have at least gotten some of my clothing when you kidnapped me." Hope picked up a plaid skirt, a white shirt, and a sweater.

"I apologize for not thinking about what you might wear later. It was terribly inconsiderate of me, but I was too busy trying to clean up your mess."

Ryan headed towards the door and Hope hurried to catch up with him.

"Girls' showers in there." Ryan pointed to a door. "I'll wait for you out here."

In the bathroom, Hope stripped out of her bloody clothes and threw them into the trash. The only salvageable things were her boots, which she set aside with her new clothes.

After scrubbing down, Hope started to dress, then realized that she had no underthings to put on under her clothing and she smirked as an idea came to her.

Exiting the bathroom without a stitch of clothing, she felt a sense of victory at Ryan's shocked expression. Unfortunately, he schooled his face quickly into a more neutral mask as he kept his eyes carefully on her face.

"I don't have any panties or bra I can wear."

Ryan seemed to struggle for a moment, proof that her nudity was affecting him more than his face suggested.

"Well?"

"Get a robe on. We'll find some things for you. Hopefully there's a girl in this school who wouldn't mind lending you some clothes."

"Or you can send someone to town to get me new things because I won't wear another girl's panties." Hope crossed her arms, pushing her breasts up as she did so. "It'd be like having sex without actually having sex and I'm not down with that."

Ryan swallowed thickly, then choked out, "Doesn't it bother you that anyone can see you right now?"

"You're assuming that I care if people see me naked." Hope took a step towards him, then another until she was so close that her nipples brushed the front of his shirt.

"Just get- get a bathrobe on."

"Why? Does my being naked bother you?" God, but his plump lips needed to be kissed, bitten, and his hair messed up.

"It's just I don't think the parents of the students would appreciated their children being exposed to a naked woman," he spoke quickly, as though in a rush to get his words out.

Standing on tiptoe, Hope whispered against his cheek, "Get me new under clothes and I'll consider getting dressed."

"Fine. Get a robe on and I'll take you to Saltzman so he can send someone into town to get you clothes." He shifted away from her.

"Now, was that so hard?"

Ryan's jaw ticked in response, but he said nothing.

With a smirk of her own, Hope walked back into the bathroom to do as he requested.

This could be fun, toying with this pretty boy. He might not be human, but he was definitely all man and reacted accordingly.

Once she was covered, she exited the bathroom once more.

"Grab your clothes and come with me."

Hope did as he instructed and returned to his side.

"I'd forgotten just how little a humanity free vampire was affected by nudity," Ryan said as he led the way to Alaric's office.

"We all look similar under our clothes, so why bother freaking out if someone sees me nude?"

Ryan knocked on an ornate door and Alaric opened it.

"Yes?"

"Hope needs some underclothes and has asked if we could send someone to town to get some for her."

"Uh, yeah. Write down your sizes and I'll send Lizzie or Josie to get some." Alaric walked over to the desk and held out a pen and a piece of paper.

Hope wrote down her information and handed it back to her.

"Clarke, maybe we should go ahead and put her into a bedroom since having her wandering around essentially naked isn't a good idea."

"I couldn't agree more." Ryan raised an eyebrow in Hope's direction, then headed down the hall. "Follow me."

Hope followed him until he reached a door.

"It's been kept clean, so it's ready for you to move in."

Hope opened the door and walked into the room. "Okay, I've moved in. Anything else?"

"Stay in this room until they get back with your clothes and you can get dressed."

Hope dropped her clothing onto a chair, then pulled the robe off.

"Mikayla."

"I'm in my room. I can be naked in here if I want. If you see me naked, that's on you for being in here." Hope threw herself across the bed and rested her head on her forearms, arching her back just a little so that her breasts jutted up.

"Fine. I'll be back when they get here."

"Or you could stay." Hope looked up at him and bit her lower lip.

Ryan swallowed thickly, his gaze trailing over her body.

"You obviously want me, so why not do something about it?"

"You're- you're not yourself," he mumbled.

"That doesn't mean I don't know what I want. I'm fully able to consent."

"That doesn't mean you won't regret it once you come back to yourself," he said quickly before he fled the room, slamming the door behind him.

Hope sat up, bracing herself on her elbows as she stared at the closed door. This school was going to be much more entertaining than she initially thought. Who needed to hunt humans all the time when she had a man like him to play with?


	5. Chapter 5

"Don't tell me you're mad at me." Hope leaned against the closed door and played with the end of her skirt, letting it slide up her thigh.

"What makes you think I'm mad at you?"

"You've hardly looked at me all day and you're the one I'm supposed to report to. If this keeps up, I'm gonna think you don't like me."

He looked up and when she knew she had his full attention, Hope took the opportunity to play with the front of her mostly unbuttoned shirt.

Ryan drew a deep breath, then attempted to keep his focus on the papers in front of him, though he kept glancing up at her

Hope walked slowly towards him, then pulled his chair away from his desk. Keeping her gaze on his, she pushed whatever he was working on aside and sat down in front of him. With a smirk, she rested her foot on his knee and spread her legs, allowing him to see her lack of underwear.

"Are you trying to get me removed from the school?" He swallowed thickly and gripped the arms of his chair so tightly that had he been a vampire, he'd have broken them.

"We're both adults and I'm not a student." She trailed her fingers over his mouth. "There's no law or school rule that prohibits this. I looked it up."

"You don't know what you're doing."

"I know what I want."

Leaning over, Hope licked his lower lip, the shaky exhale of his breath against her, spreading warmth through her. As she straightened, she couldn't resist a glance down and her arousal spiked even higher. This man was definitely proportionate, at least if the erection she could see through his pants was anything to go by.

"And what I want is for you to lay me across this desk and fuck me."

"Mikayla, we can't," he groaned.

Shrugging, Hope stood up. "If that's the way you want it, I'll leave you to your books."

When she reached the door, Ryan said, "Mikayla."

Hope turned to face him, tilting her head to the side as she listened.

"Make no mistake, if you had your emotions on and behaved the way you just did, I wouldn't have hesitated."

"So, that's your game? Make me flip the switch through sexual frustration?" Hope snorted. "If so, it is a new approach."

"It's not a game, and I'm not playing."

"Then why?"

"You'll have enough to regret when you allow yourself to feel again. I'd rather not be on that list."

"So if I prove that humanity free or not, I'd want you, you'll fuck me?" Hope raised an eyebrow.

"I'd rather not answer that. Because knowing you, you'll make it impossible for me to function in any capacity."

"Very well then, Mr. Clarke, game on." With casual indifference, Hope added, "Just so you know, I'll be in my room, dealing with this myself. Though I don't imagine my fingers will be quite as satisfying as what you're packing."

Hope left the room then, though she paused outside his door, curious as to how he'd react. Her eavesdropping was rewarded because after a moment, there was a thump, as if a head slamming against a desk, followed by a groan.

"Damn you, Mikaya."

As she walked away, Hope struggled to wrap her head around why he wouldn't want to have sex with her. She hadn't been allowed to leave the compound to explore her own sexuality and she didn't want to touch the people she worked with, but from what she'd seen and heard, men hardly ever turned down sex, especially with pretty people.

Hope returned to her room and sat on her bed, staring at the far wall. While she supposed she could carry through with what she told Ryan she'd be doing, she wasn't in the mood to get herself off. She wanted him to get her off. So, stubborn as she was, she decided she was going to wait until he gave in before seeking relief.

Later that evening, Hope decided that being in her room was no longer necessary to torment Ryan, so she ventured out to see what sort of mischief she could get into.

"Hi, I'm Landon."

Hope glanced up to see a boy with curly, dark hair and gray green eyes.

"And?" She raised an eyebrow.

"He's a phoenix," a girl's voice cut in.

"Again, and?" Hope snorted and walked away. What did she care about someone she would have been sent after to kill if she was still with Triad? If anything, his scent had her hair standing on end, her muscles preparing to leap, to strike, to kill.

The only thing keeping her from attacking was that killing a student less than forty-eight hours after she was released from the cage might jeopardize her place at the school. So it came down to did she want to continue playing with Ryan and possibly getting him to sleep with her, or did she want the satisfaction of a quick kill? The kill would only last so long, but Ryan was too much of a challenge to walk away from.

Hope found herself wandering the halls, looking at the place she now resided.

"So, I figured you could use a vampire ally," the boy she'd seen with Alaric fell into step beside her. "I'm Kaleb, in case you didn't know."

"I'm not looking for a friend."

"I never said 'friend'. I said 'ally'."

"What would I do with an ally who's never seen combat?"

"I might be able to get you the hookup with some things that are considered contraband around here, provided certain people don't find out, and even people who don't let themselves feel the need to talk have things they might want, so whatever it is, I'm your guy. And no, I'm not looking to screw the pretty girl. I just think you need someone who'll be in your corner and who'll help you keep from breaking the rules."

"Fine. How do I get a real drink?"

"As long as you promise not to kill anyone introduce you to, I can hook you up."

"So, play by your rules and I can feed properly?" Hope raised an eyebrow. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. Vamps before anyone else."

"I'm not just a vampire, you know."

"Yeah, but you died and you need blood now. So I'll help you out."

"Don't expect me to be nice," Hope warned. Why was she saying that? What did it matter if she was cruel to anyone? Then again, no one offered to be an ally, which she knew she needed if she was going to make it here.

"Like I said, I'm expecting you to want to be a friend, but if you want an ally, I'm your guy."

"Get me a proper meal and I'll consider it."

"_You'll_ consider it?" Kaleb raised an eyebrow.

"Turnabout's fair play. You help me, I'll help you and you know I can do things you can't."

"True. Meet me in the library just after midnight tonight. Snatch, feed, erase. No harm, no foul, and _no one_ around here can know, not even other vampires."

"So, why me?"

"Because you look thirsty and I figure a humanity free vampire wouldn't be too keen on drinking bunny blood."

"You aren't wrong," Hope admitted as she fought against the veins beneath her eyes. That couldn't happen because it would give away that she was more than a heretic.

"So, what do you say?"

"Count me in."

"After midnight." Kaleb grinned and headed on his way.

Hope wondered around a little more before a familiar scent reached her nose, a scent she had pushed down so much she hadn't noticed if she'd crossed it earlier. As if under the power of compulsion, Hope followed it until she reached the library. When she got to there, she froze. There, sitting in a chair against the far wall, sat her dad. She wondered why she hadn't seen her before.

The switch buckled and threatened to give at the sight of him. Memories of the stories her mother told of him, of painting with him in the garden, of him just being her dad, they flooded her mind and she very nearly gave in.

"Daddy Klaus?" a girl's voice had her snapping away from the switch and she stepped out of the way as the dark haired girl she'd seen the night she first met people from the school, Josie?, sat on his lap and tucked her head under his chin.

"You haven't called me that in years."

"When did you get back?"

"Just a few minutes ago. What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"I wish I hadn't gone to Triad."

"Caroline told me about that. The first time you see a human killed so brutally can be difficult."

"I don't want to get used to it though. Because if I do, I could become like her."

"Like who?"

"Mikayla. The girl we brought back with us. She's hard and cold and just doesn't care."

"Mikayla. Is that her name?"

Hearing her father speak about her like he didn't even know her chilled her so deeply and she wanted to hurt someone, anyone, but especially the girl taking her place in her father's arms. That should be her being comforted, not some interloper.

"Pathetic," Hope sneered. "You can't even stomach seeing someone die and you fall apart."

"Not everyone has the experience you do," Klaus snapped.

"And not everyone has the luxury she does," Hope retorted. She was so close to breaking, so close to screaming that she was his daughter, crying and begging him to understand that she fit that empty place inside his heart, not Josie.

"What luxury is that?"

"Of knowing that someone cares when she's facing something she can't handle on her own. Why else do you think I flipped the switch? It's easier to face the impossible alone when I don't have to feel or care."

Turning on her heel, she fled the room as quickly as she could. So much for always and forever. She was a Mikaelson, yet no one remembered her, so that promise no longer applied to her. She knew it already, but having her father look at her so coldly was a difficult pill to swallow.

The first person who crossed her, she swore she was going to kill them. It didn't matter who it was or what they said, but she was going to take their life, prove that she was firmly in control and that no one could tell her what to do or guilt her for doing what she had to do to survive.

"Mikayla-"

That was all it took. One person saying her assumed name after her father treated her like that. With a snarl, Hope launched herself at the speaker and sank her fangs in. Blood, not human, but still satisfying enough to slake her thirst and push the switch firmly back into the 'off' position, flowed into her mouth. She swallowed greedily until the blood stopped and Hope dropped the body.

"Convenient," Hope said when she saw who lay at her feet.

"Convenient?" Josie shrieked. "You killed someone!"

"Convenient that it's the phoenix." She wiped lips with her thumb and sucked the blood off it.

She looked around to find nearly every student in the school as well as several teachers staring at her in horror. Kaleb shook his head with an exasperated smile on his face, but there was no real judgment in the expression.

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I was thirsty and he was annoying. Besides, it's not like there was any other way of getting a real meal around here." Why she felt the need to make sure no one would look at Kaleb for anything, she wasn't sure, but she decided not to think about it.

"You're an impulsive danger to everyone around you," Klaus said as he came up behind Josie. He looked the scene over.

"Says the one who killed a human just because her son didn't wanna be your little bitch boy anymore." Hope smirked when he stepped back as though she struck him. "I could make a list of all those you've killed who won't be coming back, but that would take me a month."

"Mikayla." Ryan caught her elbow. To the others surrounding them, he said, "I'll handle this."

"Oh, dear. Looks like I'm in trouble now."

"Come with me."

He led the way to his office and closed the door behind them.

"Are you going to spank me? I have been a very bad girl." Hope raised an eyebrow.

"No." He searched her face, his mouth pulling down just a little.

After a moment's consideration, Ryan opened a drawer and pulled out a decanter and two glasses. Pouring about three fingers worth into each of them, he held one up for her and Hope took it.

"I thought you could use a real drink," he said.

"Offering someone who's under the age of twenty-one a drink? My my. Looks like I'm not the only one in need of a spanking."

Hope sat down across from him and took a sip, enjoying the burn of the alcohol down her throat. As they drank, Ryan watched her carefully.

"Something on my face? Or are you picturing something more salacious?"

"I was thinking something a bit less scandalous than whatever's going on in that dirty mind of yours."

"What about?"

"You're too controlled to kill randomly. So why did you kill him?" Ryan leaned back in his chair with his elbows on the arms.

Hope shrugged and returned her attention to the glass in her hand.

"Now, everyone's just going to be waiting for me to snap again." Hope sneered as she took a sip of her drink.

"As long as you don't kill anyone permanently, there's not a whole lot that they can do about it."

Ryan held up the decanter, offering her a refill, and Hope accepted it silently.

"They could kick me out onto the streets." Why did that sound less appealing than it had the day before?

"And risk turning a humanity free vampire loose on the world? Not a chance. At least here, they know you're semi-contained. And, everyone here can either defend themselves or not die permanently; in some cases, both."

"_Contained_. So I've gone from one prison to another."

"It's only a prison if you let it be one. Here, you can figure out what you want out of life and to understand yourself, if you choose to do so."

"It's not like I have anything else to do. Besides, at least one of the jailers is hot." Hope looked at him from under her lashes.

Ryan looked like he wanted to say something else, but then decided against it.

Hope finished her drink quickly and stood up.

"You're leaving already?"

"I think it's better if I go. I probably shouldn't be alone with you."

"Why's that?"

"If I stay here any longer, I'll try to strip you naked and ride you into next week."

"Goodnight, Mikayla." He shifted in his chair, suddenly uncomfortable, even as his gaze fell to her lips.

With a final smirk, Hope left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

"What is your problem?"

Hope froze. Why did her father have to seek her out?

"Which one do you want to hear about? The fact that I'm being kept here so I don't wipe out the town? Or the one where I'm campaigning to get a certain Monster Lore instructor to fuck me into the next century? Take your pick."

"You're humanity free, and you chose to pick at Josie? You don't know her, yet you act like she's your soft target."

"You have no idea what my soft targets are or why I said what I did, so I suggest you stay out of my way. It'd be a shame if I happened to know where to find some white oak, now wouldn't it?" Hope gave an over the top fake smile and turned away.

Klaus caught her arm, spinning her to face him, "You do anything against my family, I will make sure you regret it."

"I'm humanity free. I regret nothing." Without considering how he might react when he woke up, Hope snapped his neck, then headed towards the front door.

She wanted more alcohol, but didn't dare go back to Ryan to ask for another drink. He was smart enough, he'd see that her switch had been pushed and probably start putting pieces together if he saw Klaus's broken neck.

Rifling through Klaus's pockets, she pulled out a few bills from his wallet and headed out.

Several hours later, Hope sat in the cemetery with her bottles of cheap booze. It didn't go down nearly as smoothly as the drink Ryan had given her, but it did the trick, and she downed the one bottle as quickly as she could.

"I'm insulted."

Hope looked up and then returned her attention back to her drink.

"If you wanted to get drunk, all you had to do was ask me for more," Ryan said as he sat down beside her.

"How did you find me?"

"Alaric has an active tracking spell on you and when you remained outside the gates, I decided to come look for you."

"Did you think you'd find me neck deep in bodies?"

"You're too controlled to go on a killing spree without a good reason. It would go against whatever plan you're working on."

"Even though I snapped Klaus's neck?"

"I'd imagine you felt that he deserved it. Though it's probably a good idea you haven't come back yet because he was on the warpath when he woke up, especially when he realized you picked his pockets." Ryan laughed.

"He was annoying." Hope shrugged, then offered him the bottle in her hand.

Ryan took the bottle and then passed it back as he swallowed.

"I've killed two people, yet you're saying I'm controlled. And I'm here because I tore Triad apart." Hope passed the bottle back to him.

"You had a reason to kill each of them." Ryan took a swig, then gave her the bottle. "No, I'm not excusing your actions, but you're not stupid enough to go around randomly killing people just because you can."

Hope leaned her head against Ryan's shoulder and they passed the bottle back and forth until it was gone. Then, she opened the last bottle and they finished that one off too.

"Here's hoping your faith in me doesn't bite you in the ass."

"I'd rather you be the one biting me." Ryan bit his lower lip when Hope glanced at him, one brow raised. Clearly he hadn't meant to say that.

"Is that so?" Moving as quickly as she could, Hope straddled him, grinding against his erection.

"Mikayla." Ryan's hands balled into fists at her hips. "We can't."

Standing up, Hope tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Screw you, Clarke. If I kill someone else tonight, it's on you."

"You don't get to manipulate me like that."

"How is it manipulation if we both want it? I'm not some Regency era damsel whose virtue needs to be treated with kid gloves."

"No, you're a vampire who's flipped the switch and when you start to feel again, you'll hate me for letting this happen!"

"I flipped the switch, which means I'm doing what I would be tempted to do if I still allowed myself to feel. I mean, why wouldn't I want to fuck you?"

"I started Triad. I'm the reason they even had access to Malivore in the first place. That's why you wouldn't want me."

"_You_ didn't throw me into the pit, then torture me for information when I destroyed it, so I don't see why you should feel guilty for anything. What's done is done. So stop trying to make up for other people's crimes."

"I certainly hope you feel that way when you come back to yourself."

"You're afraid." Hope walked towards him slowly. "You want me, but you're terrified that I'll reject you should I ever decide to feel again. So, to protect yourself, you frustrate the hell out of both of us, which isn't fair."

Why did that bother her so much? She couldn't understand why she was talking to him like this. Why did it matter if he refused to sleep with her?

"You could have anyone in this school who was attracted to women. So why me?"

"What use do I have for children? Besides, you intrigue me."

Ryan watched her, his expression conflicted.

"Look, if you don't want me, just say it and I'll find someone much less interesting to play with."

"You know I want you." Turning away from her, he headed back towards the school. "We'd better get back before I do something stupid."

"Your definition of stupid? Or mine?"

"Mine. Obviously."

They remained silent the rest of the way back, though Hope could sense his conflict. Rather than calling him out on it, she decided to wait. If she pushed him now, then it would likely strengthen his resolve.

Just because she didn't feel much of anything didn't mean that she didn't understand how people worked, especially men.

No one was awake to witness their return to the school and the tension in her shoulders lessened just a little. The last thing she wanted was to run into anyone who might make her want to snap their neck or drain them dry.

Instead of going their separate ways when they reached the second floor, Ryan followed Hope to her bedroom and when she opened the door, he placed his hand on her arm. Hope raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, simply waiting.

Slowly, hesitantly, he reached up and cupped her cheek with one hand, then softly caressed her lower lip with his thumb. Hope looked up at him as she brushed her tongue lightly against his skin and then drew the digit into her mouth.

With that, the dam broke and Ryan kissed her roughly, more teeth and tongues than lips and Hope reciprocated eagerly. His fingers dug into her hair, securing her to him, and she wrapped her legs around his waist while he carried her inside the room. Once they were clear of the door, Ryan kicked it shut while Hope made quick work of the buttons on his shirt.

Once they reached the bed, Ryan threw her across it and pulled off her boots. Hope sat up and pushed his shirt down his shoulders as he kissed her again, this time more softly.

"You're not stopping, are you?" Hope whispered as she pulled away from his mouth to kiss down his neck.

"Hell no. I just want to go a little more slowly."

"Why?"

"Because I happen to like it slow most of the time."

"So, you'll fuck me gently." Hope caught his lower lip between her teeth and tugged. "What if I want it fast and rough?"

"Trust me, it'll be worth it." He smirked as he toed off his own shoes and joined her on the bed.

Curious now, Hope ran her hand down his chest, exploring him. He possessed just the right amount of muscle, not so thin that she'd feel like she'd snap him, and not so thick that she'd feel like he'd snap her.

"Like what you see?" Ryan flipped them so that he was lying on top of her.

"Yes." Biting her lip, Hope looked him up and down, then added, "But, I'd like it a lot more if we were both naked and your cock was inside me."

"Patience." He ground his arousal against her aching center, drawing a whimper from her.

"Please." Hope bucked beneath him, her need for him spiking through the roof now that he'd surrendered to his lust.

Smirking now, Ryan undid her uniform shirt so slowly that Hope nearly flipped them over so she could take control. But just as she was about to do so, he flung her bra over his shoulder and his lips closed over one of her nipples.

"Ryan," Hope moaned, her back arching.

He lifted his head just a little and blew against her softly, the brush of his breath across her skin drawing a whimper from her, then looked up at her. The expression in his dark eyes was so soft that Hope fought the urge to look away.

Keeping his gaze on hers, Ryan ran his hands slowly down her sides, the gentleness of the touch tightening her throat. That did it. Pushing at the switch was not an option, so Hope flipped him beneath her, biting at his throat.

"Oh, Mikayla. You're spoiling my fun," Ryan sighed as he tipped his head back.

"You were taking too long."

Hope tore the rest of their clothing off and then straddled him again.

"One day, I'll teach you the pleasure of taking it slow," Ryan vowed as he sat up and cradled her cheek.

The way he looked at her had Hope bracing herself on his shoulders and rising up on her knees to take him inside her. As her inner walls stretched around him, Hope's mouth fell open and she threw her head back as a moan tore from her throat.

Leaning up on his elbow, Ryan tilted her face towards him and he kissed her, his tongue sliding between her lips.

Now that he was inside her, Hope found herself not wanting this moment to end. So instead of riding him as fast and hard as she could, she rocked slowly against him, savoring this first time she'd ever allowed herself to be so vulnerable with someone.

"Who's the tease now?" Ryan whispered against her lips.

"Now, you know not to play games with me," Hope replied as she continued to ride him slowly.

"I'll play games with you all I want to, if it involves you like this." Ryan sucked her lower lip into his mouth.

God, she wanted to feel his skin against hers for the rest of her immortal life. If only that sinfully perfect mouth stayed closed except to kiss her, because he liked pushing her buttons too much in his subtle campaign to make her feel again.

"You're thinking, Mikayla." Ryan trailed open mouthed kisses down her neck and across her shoulder.

When his hands came up to cup her breasts and play with her nipples, all thought left her, except for the feeling of him beneath her and his hands and mouth on her.

Ryan smirked and then he reached between her legs to stroke her clit and Hope threw her head back, a strangled scream tearing its way free from somewhere deep in the back of her throat. Unable to resist the urge, she started riding him in earnest now.

"That's it, sweetheart, Ride me," Ryan groaned.

The coil in her lower belly tightened and then the wave crested, sending shock waves of pleasure through her.

When Hope collapsed against his chest, he rolled onto his side so they were facing each other.

"If sex with you feels this good while drunk, I wonder what it would be like sober."

"So you want to fuck me again?" Hope raised an eyebrow. "You wanna risk me saying something that could deflate your ego so terribly that you might never recover?"

"I was raised by Malivore. I doubt there's anything you can say that will make me feel any lower than he made me feel." Ryan traced her lower lip with his thumb.

"I'm not going to flip the switch."

"Me having sex with you is more about connecting to the one person who knows what it was like in the pit in the only way you'll allow."

"You're lonelier than I am." Hope ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the feel of the soft curls between her fingers.

"How's that?"

"Because even though we're equally alone, you feel, so you care that you have no one."

"I have you." Ryan pulled Hope against his chest and tucked her head beneath his chin.

"I don't feel anything, so it must be sad for you."

"No sadder than the girl who was wounded so terribly, she hides from everyone, including herself." Ryan traced patterns on her back.

"So, equally broken people coming together and finding some semblance of wholeness in the bedroom."

"My lover's got humor. She's the giggle at the funeral. She tells me 'Worship in the bedroom.' The only heaven I'll be sent to is when I'm alone with you." Ryan chuckled. "I never thought that song would fit me in any way. Yet, here we are."

"I'll have to listen to that song."

The alcohol finally caught up to her and Hope felt herself drifting towards sleep, her mind at rest for the first time in a very long time.


	7. Chapter 7

Hope woke up from the best night's sleep she could remember having in over a decade, though her pillow was odd. Not that that was unusual, because she'd ended up having to sleep on strange surfaces before. But this one had a… heartbeat?

"You're awake," Ryan murmured.

"No. I'm still asleep."

"Hm, then you must talk in your sleep." He combed his fingers through her hair, the pleasant sensation making it so she never wanted to leave this spot.

"Do you have anything to do today?" Having his arms around her, it filled that empty place inside her that she never spoke about or usually allowed herself to think about it. Why did she want his touch so much, not just sexually, but simple caresses?

"No. Why?"

"Because this feels nice and I slept better than I have in years." Hope hooked her leg higher up his torso and pressed her forehead against his neck.

"Are you alright?" Ryan asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You haven't made any cutting remarks meant to deflate my ego yet this morning."

"I'll think of something, eventually." Hope snorted once as a thought struck her. "I'm surprised that Klaus hasn't tried pounding the door down demanding to speak to me."

"Caroline promised to keep him away from you for as long as she can."

"Caroline might be as stubborn as he is, but not even she can hold him off forever. He's too prone to holding a grudge to not try sooner or later."

"You understand him very well," Ryan commented.

Instead of replying, Hope traced patterns on his chest with her nails and Ryan kissed the top of her head in response.

Someone knocked on the door and Hope reached over to grab a book of the nightstand. With a sharp flick of her wrist, she threw it at the door, hitting it with a satisfying thunk, and she was certain that it left a dent in the wood.

"Mikayla!" Alaric called. "We need to talk."

Hope climbed out of bed and grabbed Ryan's shirt off the floor.

Opening the door, Hope crossed her arms and faced Alaric, eyebrow raised.

Alaric looked from Hope to Ryan lying on the bed with his head resting on his arm.

"Well?" Hope asked.

"You, um, you snapped Klaus Mikaelson's neck last night."

"He got into my face." Hope shrugged.

"Over my daughter."

"She seemed pretty comfortable calling him 'dad' and talking to him about things she didn't seem to want to talk to you about. So maybe you should talk to your own child about whatever's bothering her before coming after me." Hope slammed the door in Alaric's face.

Alaric huffed, then stomped away, either to regroup or find his daughter, Hope wasn't sure, nor did she care. As long as he left her alone, what did it matter to her what he did with himself?

When she returned to the bed, Hope straddled Ryan's hips and he caught her wrists.

"You in nothing but my shirt is sexy as hell." He grinned up at her.

"You in my bed wearing nothing is sexier."

Ryan tugged on the magic binding bracelet and looked up at her, his brows furrowed.

"What?"

"Does it bother you, being cut off from part of yourself?"

"After being thrown into the pit, being cut off from my magic is a small price to pay for being semi-free. Yes, it's grating, but I'd rather have no magic, than to be back in the pit."

Ryan flipped Hope beneath him and carded his fingers into her hair, his dark eyes intense.

"Don't pity me. I survived. I'm a survivor, it's what I do." Hope traced his lower lip with her fingertip.

"A survivor, but at what cost?" Ryan ducked his head and sucked at her pulse.

Hope sighed and spread her legs for him as she tilted her head back. Taking her actions as an invitation, Ryan thrust into her, drawing a moan from her. Was there anything better than sex with Ryan? Nothing came to mind and she allowed herself to sink into the sensations he evoked in her.

He seemed to understand her body, drawing _her _closer to the surface than she'd ever been since she'd flipped the switch. Stroking her, caressing her, caring about her pleasure, it tempted her to flip the switch, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, to face the pain. Because to face the pain meant she'd lose the pleasure Ryan brought her.

As her orgasm washed over her, Hope dug her nails into his back, drawing him as close to her as she could. God, she wanted to have him envelop her, to fill that empty place inside her chest so completely that she never had to think about it again.

Later that afternoon found Hope sitting on the counter watching as Ryan mixed ingredients together for waffles. To his left, a tea kettle steamed away on the stove as it heated and two mugs were already sitting out.

"So, the emotionless vampire and the golum," a small, black haired teenager with olive skin entered the room.

"Penelope," Ryan said as he continued with his task.

"Don't you have something better to do?" Hope raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you've got some homework or something that you're putting off to poke your nose where it's not wanted."

"Are you always this much of a bitch?"

"Not always."

"What changes?"

"I'm usually a mirror of whoever I'm speaking to."

"So you're calling me a bitch."

"Take it however you want." Hope shrugged.

Ryan poured the waffle batter into the iron and closed it, then lifted the strainer of strawberries from the sink and dumped them onto the counter beside the cutting board.

She snagged a strawberry from the cutting board and Ryan smacked her lightly as she popped the berry into her mouth. As she chewed on the fruit, a strangely soft smile played across his full lips and he turned his attention back to the chopping.

"Hmm, girl in a man's shirt and a pair of leggings, and the guy wearing nothing but a pair of pants, I wonder what happened last night."

"If you have to wonder, you've got no business knowing the truth."

"If you don't want to tell me, it looks like I'll just go find Landon and tell him that the girl he's crushing on is screwing his brother."

"I'm fucking his brother, not screwing. And he's a damn good lay."

"You know something, I think I might like you, eventually." With a toss of her hair, Penelope left the room.

"You really have no shame," Ryan remarked with a short laugh once they were alone again.

"Shame is related to feelings of inadequacy and I don't have feelings."

"Penelope is one of those girls who likes no one, unless they prove themselves, and I suppose you've proved yourself to her." Ryan dumped the chopped berries into a bowl.

"I'm not looking for validation of the queen bitches."

"And that's why she likes you. Because you don't kiss up to anyone."

The waffle iron beeped and Ryan pulled the waffle out, then poured more batter into the machine. Once the machine was started, he put the waffle under the warmer.

"I thought I smelled waffles," Kaleb said as he walked into the room.

"They're my waffles," Hope replied.

Ryan chuckled as he poured the hot water into the mugs, but he remained otherwise silent.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in stealing your food."

"Good. I'd hate to have to bite you."

Kaleb side eyed her, then said, "So, I was looking for you earlier, but didn't want to intrude on your privacy by banging on your bedroom door, but I need to talk to you about something, if you don't mind."

"What did I do this time?" Hope rolled her eyes. While she could tolerate Kaleb and his offer to help her procure human blood if she wanted it, she wasn't interested in talking to him if he was going to scold her about something.

"So, you killed Landon last night."

"I did."

"Next time, could you try to avoid killing him near any books? I had to clean up the mess and that wasn't fun."

"I'll do my best to avoid him during school hours and to stay out of the library."

"I guess that's all I can ask for." Kaleb studied her for a long moment, then asked, "Is it better, not feeling anything?"

"You'll have to ask someone who's flipped the switch back on to get a full answer, but for me, it is."

Kaleb fell silent, his mouth pursed as he mulled over her words.

"Mikayla has trauma in her past that means her experience is different from yours, Kaleb. So keep that in mind."

"Sure thing, teach."

"Don't shut it off if you don't have to," Hope said, unsure of where the words were coming from—Maybe it was Ryan reaching beneath the switch when she didn't want him to or maybe it was just her being honest. Who knows?—"If I didn't feel like I had no choice, I don't think I would have done it, but it was the only way I could survive the transition."

"So flipping the switch really is about not feeling like you have another choice?"

"Some might say that being emotionless is a natural state, but they're wrong. We feel too much naturally, so a lot of the younger ones feel the need to hide from the avalanche of emotions and they flip everything off just to make it stop," Hope replied.

"I've read a lot of stuff about flipping the switch, but you're making it sound different than what a lot of the books say."

"I've met a few vampires who were several centuries old and they couldn't flip the switch. From what they've said, it seems like something only the young can completely do. And while the older ones can lose themselves to the vampire and to being self-serving, they still have emotions."

The timer beeped again and Ryan flipped the waffle onto the plate and then pulled the other waffle from under the warmer so he could doctor both of them up with the chopped up berries and some whipped cream.

"Okay, thanks for the insight." Kaleb patted the counter next to where Hope sat. "Just please, please please, try to kill Landon away from where things we don't want burned. I know you might not care about the damage, but I do."

"I'll try to keep it in mind," Hope promised.

Ryan handed her one of the waffles.

"Thank you," Hope said automatically.

"You're polite," Kaleb commented.

"Just because I flipped the switch doesn't mean I have a right to be rude, because being rude makes things more difficult."

Hope cut into the waffle and took a bite.

"Good?" Ryan asked as he cut into his own waffle.

"Very good," Hope mumbled around the mouthful of food. "You can cook for me any time you want to."

"Just say 'Please' and I'll think about it."

"You know you can get me to say that whenever you want to." Hope raised an eyebrow in Ryan's direction.

"Okay, I'm out. You kids have fun." Kaleb headed towards the door, leaving them alone.

"I knew I was forgetting something." Ryan reached into the cupboard over their heads and pulled out a small jar full of a dark brown substance.

"What is that?" Hope asked warily.

Instead of replying, Ryan cut off a small section of his waffle and spooned some of the sweet smelling substance onto it. Then, lifting the section up, he brought it to Hope's lips. Slowly, Hope opened her mouth and closed her lips around the waffle, keeping her eyes on Ryan's the whole time.

"It's cookie butter," Ryan said by way of explanation.

"That is good."

"I thought you might like it."

He dipped the spoon back into the jar and scooped out a dollop and scraped it off onto her waffle, then did the same for himself.

"How do you still have that if it's so good?"

"This cupboard," he placed the jar on the shelf, "is for the teachers only."

They continued eating the rest of their meal in companionable silence. Or at least, Hope decided this must be what companionable silence must be like, because he wasn't demanding that she speak and he wasn't filling the quiet with inane chatter. Like this, she almost wanted to come back, to feel, just so she could experience the moment fully. But she pushed back against it. Feeling meant accepting that the people she loved no longer loved her.


	8. Chapter 8

A few weeks later found Hope walking down the stairs headed towards the library one morning. Ryan was prepping for classes, so he didn't have time to keep her occupied in more pleasurable ways at the moment, so she decided to see what sort of books the school had on hand that might be able to help her get out of her predicament. Maybe they had something on Malivore, on how to destroy him that Ryan wasn't willing to share just yet.

"Hi, Hope." Landon stepped in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Hope asked.

She raised, an eyebrow at his partially unbuttoned shirt and the way he was leaning against the banster with his hands in his pockets and looking at her from under his lashes. Was he trying to look sexy? If so, why?

"I just wanted to see if you wanted to go to dinner with me?"

"Are you on the menu?"

"Depends on how you mean."

"I mean with you dead and me fed."

How else did he think she meant? There was only one way she was interested in him, and that was draining him dry whenever she got a little peckish. Otherwise, his whiney 'I'm special because I'm a phoenix and pity me because I'm Malivore's biological son' persona made her want to kill him on sight.

"That wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

"I've been sleeping with your brother and you want to take me out to dinner."

"What do you see in him? He's little more than a mud robot. He's not even alive, really."

"You're the son of a mud robot so you don't have much room to talk."

"I can be more than he is for you, if you'll give me a chance. I can be what you need."

"You don't know me and I have no use for children, so what makes you think I want anything to do with you?" With a quick flick of her wrist, she snapped his neck and turned away. What gave him the right to talk about his brother like that?

"Hey!" Kaleb called.

"Yes?"

"Could you not keep killing him inside the house?" Kaleb gestured to the dead phoenix on the floor.

"He's not bleeding."

"No, but he'll be burning in a few minutes."

"I'll be sure to make sure he accosts me outside next time, just for you, Kaleb."

Kaleb shook his head and threw Landon over his shoulder, then flashed away again.

"Was that necessary?" Klaus demanded as he descended the steps.

"Was what necessary?"

"Killing Landon."

"I don't like to be threatened."

"How was he threatening you?"

"He had his shirt undone too much." Hope shrugged.

"How was that a threat?"

"I'm now in need of brain bleach. How is that not a threat?" Hope crossed her arms across her chest and raised her eyebrow at her father. If only he knew that him continuing to judge her, of him not remembering that she was his daughter only served to make her more determined than ever to keep her humanity switch firmly off.

"If you're going to kill someone, make sure they actually deserve it."

"You're the one to talk, considering you've killed people for less than unwanted sexual advances."

Klaus's face twisted, and he said, "I could compel you to feel again, heretic."

"I'd like to see you try," Hope shrugged lightly. She was a sireless vampire, so no one could compel her, no matter how hard they tried.

Hope and Klaus continued to stare each other down until Ryan broke the spell by wrapping his arm around Hope's shoulders.

"I take it you killed my brother again?"

"I did."

"You're supposed to keep her under control," Klaus snarled at Ryan.

"I'd say considering that Mikayla is surrounded by people, some of them very vulnerable, yet she only goes for the one who can come back after being killed, is very under control for a humanity free vampire who's endured what she has," Ryan replied.

"Niklaus was just attempting to throw his weight around, not realizing that he doesn't hold the power over me that he thinks he does." If only that traitorous part way down deep in her soul could stop reacting to him, either by taking the bait when he challenged her or lashing out when he treated others the way he would have treated her if he had memories of her.

As was her intention, Hope's words only served to enrage Klaus and he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"Turn your humanity on."

"Nice try." Hope yanked her face out of his hand.

"I will drain every drop of vervain from your body and you will feel again."

"Did you ever stop to consider that you don't know everything there is to know about vampires? Or that there might have been something about them that you forgot? Not everyone needs vervain to be immune to compulsion."

With another raised eyebrow, Hope walked away.

"You knew him before, didn't you?" Ryan asked as he fell into step beside her.

"Does it matter? Does any of this matter? Malivore won. There's no way to bring memories back, there's nothing. So why should I even bother with anything?"

"Who were you, Mikayla?"

"No one. I'm no one."

"I didn't ask who are you? I want to know who were you?" Ryan searched her face, his dark eyes intense.

"I don't have the right to refer to myself as that anymore, so why should I tell you who I was?"

"You had a family, you were important, and you flipped the switch because when you lost your family, you lost your sense of identity, so why try to be a person, when you were a shell of who you were?"

Hope stared at him. Was she truly so transparent?

Ryan glanced at the clock. "I have a class in ten minutes. The library is open if you want to read or something."

"What I want, is to take you back upstairs, but since you're trying to be a responsible adult, I suppose a book or two will have to suffice to keep me occupied until you're available to entertain me." Standing on tiptoe, Hope caught his lower lip between her teeth and tugged lightly.

"I'll be there as soon as I can be."

Something about his eyes, how tight they were at the corners, warned Hope that he had something planned that she might not particularly want, but what?

Turning on her heel, Hope walked away.

Hours passed and suddenly, Hope realized it was dark out. Classes should have been over a while ago, yet Ryan hadn't come to find her. From somewhere in the school, she could hear raised voices, so she put the book back on the shelf and headed out to find her lover.

When she got to the foyer, Hope realized it was Klaus and Elijah going toe to toe.

"I don't see how this girl is any of your business. You're interfering."

"And yet, Ryan seems to think I can reach her."

"What if she doesn't want to be reached?" Hope folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow at her uncle.

Elijah looked up at her, his expression going from blank, to one of….. recognition?

"That's her, isn't it?" a small brunette woman that Hope couldn't place off the top of her head asked from Elijah's elbow.

From their joined hands, Hope knew they were together.

"I take it you and Hayley didn't last."

"No. It's hard to have a relationship and keep secrets from the person you claim to love."

"So, what secrets does the great Elijah Mikaelson have that caused him to end a relationship he pursued for over half a decade?"

"You."

"Me. Now, what could I have to do with it?" Hope sneered.

"I know you, Hope."

Hope froze, staring at him, her breath catching in her throat.

"I named you."

"You remember me?" her voice came out in little more than a whisper. The switch was crumbling beneath his gaze.

"I do, Hope."

"How?"

"In the fight against the Hollow, I died. When I was resurrected, I remembered you, but no one else did. So I kept it a secret that the most important piece of our family was missing."

"And that came between you and Hayley?"

"Don't blame yourself, Hope. I made my choice. I became focused on finding you, on at least figuring out what happened to you, and Elena became my ally in that." Elijah walked up to her slowly, then cupped her cheek. "I never gave up that you'd come home, Hope Andrea Mikaelson."

That did it. Tears welled in her eyes and she clung to her uncle as she cried.

"I tried so hard. I tried to be good." Hope's cries turned near hysterical.

"I know, Hope. You did what you had to to survive and still you stayed good." Elijah ran his hand over her hair soothingly.

"I didn't tell them anything. They tortured me and I didn't tell them. I took it and I kept quiet." Hope mumbled into Elijah's jacket.

"Oh, sweetheart." Elijah kissed the top of her head, tears falling into her hair.

"I tried so hard, but it became too much. It was too much. I was so alone."

"You were so strong, Hope. You're not alone now, I promise. Always and forever."

"I flipped the switch. I hurt people."

"You never killed an innocent person who couldn't come back from your actions, did you?"

"I tried not to, even when I triggered the curse right after I was taken."

"You wouldn't be a Mikaelson if you didn't have at least one questionable death on your hands."

"How did you find me?" Hope finally asked.

"Ryan Clarke. He knew about you from before you were taken and he discovered that I was looking for you, so he asked me to come up here."

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Klaus demanded before Hope could ask anything else about Ryan's involvement.

"Meet your daughter, with Hayley Marshall-Kenner, Niklaus. She's reason we returned to New Orleans, the one the witches wanted to sacrifice when she was born to take her power for themselves, the reason Dahlia came after us so hard, and why the Hollow targeted us. She was taken by Triad and thrown into Malivore, which you know erases people from the collective consciousness."

"You're lying."

"He's not lying, Klaus," Elena said softly. "He showed me his memories of her and those pictures that were around the house of the girl no one could remember, they're of the girl who called herself Mikayla, as a child."

"You'll always side with him, Elena," Klaus sighed.

Hope took the magic canceling bracelet off and dropped it to the floor. Holding out her hand, she allowed the wolf to rise to the surface and her arm started to transform.

"I'm not a heretic. I'm the tribrid. Werewolf, witch, vampire, all in one." Hope leaned closer to Elijah. "I'm not asking that you treat me like your daughter, because you don't remember me. I just want you to know, I am your daughter and I miss you."

"You're lying!"

"I'm tired. I don't want to fight. I've been fighting every day for the last ten years. I just want to rest." Hope leaned her head against her uncle's chest. As she moved, she caught Ryan's gaze. His brows furrowed and Hope's heart dropped. Would he not want her anymore, now that she could feel?

"We can talk in the morning," Elijah said, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her head and tugged Hope towards the stairs.

Outside her bedroom, Elijah cupped Hope's cheek and smiled down at her.

"I'm glad you've been found."

"Dad doesn't remember me," Hope whispered.

"If I can remember, there has to be a way that doesn't involve dying."

"I love you, Uncle Elijah."

"I love you too, Hope. Get some sleep and talk to Ryan, but be gentle with him. He was only trying to do what's best for you."

Hope nodded and went inside her room.

After she'd dressed for bed, someone knocked on the door and Hope answered it, to find Ryan standing on the other side, his hands in his pockets.

"Come on in." Hope opened the door wider.

"Are you okay?"

Her throat tightened and her eyes burned as she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Hope. I just wanted to give you back what had been taken from you."

"Will you hold me?" Hope whispered.

Ryan toed his shoes off and then joined Hope on the bed, pulling her tight against his chest.


	9. Chapter 9

Knocking on the door woke her and Hope threw a book in the direction of the noise. Her eyes felt sandy and her body ached from crying the night before. Ryan rubbed her arm and kissed the top of her head.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked softly.

Hope shrugged and pressed her face against his neck, inhaling his scent. What was it about his scent that made her feel like she

"Hope?" Klaus called. "Will you open the door? I'd like to talk."

There was no anger in his voice or judgment, so Hope flicked her wrist to open the door with magic.

Klaus entered the room, followed by Elijah who shut the door behind them. Klaus leaned against it, studying Hope carefully, so she sat up. It was an awkward feeling, getting caught in bed with a man by her father and uncle, even though nothing happened between her and Ryan the night before. But the fact that it was obvious she was comfortable with him being there and it was no secret that more than just sleeping had happened when he shared her bed before, made her worry for his health.

"What do you want?" Hope asked, her voice cracking.

Klaus didn't say anything, simply staring at her, his brows furrowed.

Hope looked over at Elijah and he gave her a small smile and a quick nod, in an effort to comfort her.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Ryan said as he moved to climb out of her bed.

"No!" Hope grabbed his arm and pulled him back down so that he was sitting beside her.

"Are you sure?"

"Stay. Please." She needed him to stay. She'd lost so much that losing him now would be too much.

With a glance at the two men Hope called family, Ryan shifted so that he was leaning against the headboard.

"If you want to talk, talk, otherwise, I want to go back to sleep." Hope leaned against Ryan, desperate to hide, to avoid the potential pain talking to her father would bring.

Ryan tugged Hope more securely against him, tucking her head under his chin and she relaxed in his arms. At least he still was willing to be there for her her, crying mess that she'd become now that she allowed herself to feel again.

"Niklaus. You need to actually speak to her if you want to hear it for yourself now that you say you're calm enough to listen to her," Elijah said softly.

Trust Elijah to be overly wordy about getting Klaus to listen. Hope wanted to laugh at that, but she knew that sometimes, Klaus needed those extra words to process what Elijah was trying to get him to hear.

"Hayley's on her way up," Klaus said as he walked over to the window and looked out.

Elijah sighed, but Hope shook her head once to keep him from saying anything more. Klaus needed to process this on his own without Elijah trying to push him now that he'd gotten the hybrid and tribrid in the same room. Maybe that was Elijah's problem. He saw Klaus giving a little, then he tried pushing things faster than Klaus was ready to even try to work through what he was trying to accept as reality.

"When will she get here?" Hope asked, her heart pounding.

She'd actually be seeing her mother in a few hours? Her mother, her entire family—aside from Mary, but she was Jack's family, not hers, so that didn't really count—for her earliest memories, and she would be here soon. Her mother, the one who encouraged her talents, both in magic and art?

She'd actually be seeing her, even if she didn't remember that she was a mother? Maybe a mother's love was a real thing

"Sometime this afternoon. Her flight leaves in about an hour."

"She believes I'm her daughter? Without ever meeting me?" The desire to hope blossomed within her and she knew it was too late to try to convince herself that it was a fool's hope.

"She's not sure, but she's coming up here to find out for herself. Elijah's insistence that you are her child went a long way to convincing her that it's a possibility."

"I've got proof I'm a Labonir, in case you're wondering," Hope said, inspiration striking her, final proof to Klaus that she was who she said she was.

"How so?" Klaus's brows furrowed.

"I can show you, if you don't mind," Hope shifted so that she was on her knees with her back to her father and she unbuttoned her shirt before the back so that her Crescent birthmark was on display.

"Hayley will definitely believe you now." Klaus's voice tightened, as though things were sinking in, that Hope was telling the truth about her origins.

When she realized that the last of his doubts were fading away before her very eyes, she wanted to ask so many questions. But since she didn't trust herself to not ask something that might make him doubt again, so she bit her cheek hard. Ryan's hand on her back, reminding her that he was there, supporting her, it gave her an anchor in the storm trying to overwhelm her.

"How could I have forgotten my own daughter?"

Hope almost replied, but then held her tongue once more. The way he said it suggested he wasn't looking for an answer, at least not yet.

"Those pictures, the clothes, the bedroom, all those paintings. Why didn't we even think to find out why we had them? Why didn't we try to figure out who you were?" Klaus turned to look at her, his expression tormented. "Why didn't you come back?"

"It was easier to keep my family at a distance when none of the people I loved remembered they ever even loved me," Hope whispered. Tears threatened to fall once more and she drew a sharp breath in effort to steady herself.

Ryan kissed the top of her head and rubbed his hand up and down her arm trying to comfort her. Hope leaned back against his touch, drawing strength from her lover. She'd wondered if he'd leave if she started feeling again and here he was, taking her pain and being a harbor in the storm.

"Niklaus, please, remember that Hope has been alone, without a single ally for the last ten years, until she encountered Clarke. So try to be gentle."

"Of course, brother." Klaus gave Elijah an annoyed smile.

"I miss you, Dad," Hope blurted out. "I miss you so much. We didn't have a whole lot of time, since I was taken not long after you were freed from the dungeon, but I miss painting with you, I miss talking to you, I miss being your daughter."

Klaus walked slowly over to the bed and sat down beside her and leaned forward, studying her face carefully. The closer he got to her, his scent invaded her nose and it took everything she had not to hug him.

"Your coloring is mine," Klaus murmured after a long moment. "Though you favor Hayley."

"I look like my mother, but my father put the devil in my eyes." Hope gave him a watery smile.

This drew an amused snort from Klaus and his lips curled up in a smirk.

"May I hug you?"

Shock crossed Klaus's face at her request and he drew a sharp breath.

"Please. Please let me hug you," Hope begged, terrified that he was going to reject her, even now, knowing that she truly was his daughter.

He nodded and Hope threw her arms around him, holding him as tightly as she could. To her relief, Klaus returned the hug and pressed his cheek against her hair.

"You smell familiar." Klaus drew back, brushing her hair out of her face, a tear trickling down his cheek. "I've been searching for a scent for years and I could never find it, now I know why. I've been looking for you."

"Hi, Dad," she choked out.

With that, Klaus pulled Hope tightly against his chest and she started to cry all over again. Her father was becoming her father once more.

"I've missed you, Dad, so much." Hope dug her fingers into his shirt under his jacket.

"Hope." Klaus ran his hand over her head and Hope felt his tears falling against her skin. "I know you. I might not remember you, but I know you."

Elijah wrapped his arms around the both of them and with his brother's support, Klaus finally broke down, the tears she'd felt earlier flowing in earnest now.

"I love you, Dad. God, I can't believe I get to say that again."

"You're home, Hope," Elijah whispered. "You're home."

"Thank you, Clarke, for bringing her to us," Klaus murmured against Hope's hair.

"Of course."

Hope looked back at the man sitting on her bed and he smiled up at her, though there was a hint of something in his eyes that she knew she'd have to talk to him about later. But right now, she'd just revel in her father hugging her, holding her, loving her the way she'd ached for him to for the last ten years.

"I want to remember you. I should remember you. I can feel it. It's driving me crazy that I can't. The shape of you is in my mind, but nothing's there. I want those memories back." Klaus's grip tightened on her and he pressed his face into her hair once more.

"I'm here now, Dad."

Before he could reply, a soft knock drew them out of the moment, then Caroline entered the room.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt," Caroline smiled apologetically in Hope's direction, "but Klaus, you're needed downstairs. Our elf prospect's parents are here and they're demanding to speak to you since you're technically not one of the protected species."

"Did you tell them I was busy?" Klaus asked, annoyed.

"I said that some personal issues came up in your family that you wanted to be there for. But things are getting unsafe for both the child and for the people around them."

"Go, Dad. I'll be here." She was reluctant to release her hold on him though. If he walked out the door, there was a chance he could change his mind and not want her anymore.

"Hope."

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Hope kissed his cheek and let go. Her heart crumbled with the knowledge that he was going to walk away, but she comforted herself with the fact that he believed her now and that he was leaving to try to save someone else from becoming like her. That mattered more, keeping others from knowing her pain.

"I'm so sorry, Klaus. I've fended them off as long as I can, but they're desperate," Caroline said as she and Klaus left the room.

Elijah kissed the top of Hope's head and said, "I'd better get down there and try to keep Niklaus under control. His annoyance at being taken away from you will make him likely to say something to make the situation worse"

"I'll be here with her." Ryan wrapped his arms around Hope.

"I feel selfish for wanting you to stay, but he needs you right now. Besides, I'm not alone." Hope lay back and allowed Ryan to pulled her against him.

"Thank you, Hope." Elijah squeezed her arm.

With that, Hope and Ryan were alone once more

"Why can't I stop crying?" Hope whispered as tears fell once more.

"You locked everything away, even before you turned, so now, you've got years of pain you need to feel and sort through." Ryan kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess right now." Hope scrubbed her hand across her face in a useless effort to keep herself from crying even more.

"I knew that bringing your family in, especially if they were what made you feel again, things would be difficult for you, so don't apologize or feel like you're too much." Ryan ran his thumb beneath her eye, catching a tear.

Unsure of what to say, Hope stretched up and kissed him softly on the lips. Ryan cradled her cheek and deepened the kiss, the salt from her tears heavy on his tongue.


	10. Chapter 10

Her heart pounded as the car pulled to a stop in front of the school and from her place at the front window, Hope tightened her grip on Ryan's arm.

"Breathe, Hope," Ryan whispered against her temple.

"She's here. She's here. Ryan, she's actually here."

"Breathe, Hope." Ryan pressed his lips against her hair and ran his hand up and down her back slowly.

"What do I do? What do I say?"

"Just breathe and let things happen." Ryan tipped her chin up and kissed her lightly on the lips.

Hope pressed her face into his neck and dug her fingers into his hair.

"Breathe, sweetheart."

Ryan ran his hand slowly up and down her back, his touch distracting her for a moment. She ached for him, not just his body, but him, and being this close to him made her feel whole, like the fractured pieces of her finally had the glue required to stay together.

A car door closing drew Hope's attention away from Ryan. As Hayley came around the car, she saw her mother for the first time in a decade and Hope choked back a sob. She was so beautiful, even more beautiful than she'd been the last time Hope had seen her, even though it was impossible for her to have changed at all, aside from her hair and clothing.

Caroline met Hayley on the front steps, then led her inside the house, out of Hope's line of sight. A few seconds later, Caroline and Hayley entered the foyer and Hope peered around the corner so she could see her mother again.

"Mom," Hope whimpered, unable to fight her tears.

Hayley must have heard her because she looked up, her hazel eyes meeting Hope's blue ones. Hayley's brows furrowed and then she walked slowly up to Hope.

"I know you don't know me, but I want you to know that I love you," Hope whispered. She blinked hard and looked away for a moment.

Hayley cupped Hope's cheek, studying her face carefully, her nostrils flaring as she took in the tribrid's scent.

"Klaus was right. I do recognize you're scent," Hayley murmured, her face twisting into something akin to grief.

"Mama." Hope couldn't fight the urge any longer and she threw her arms around Hayley, pressing her cheek into Hayley's chest, clinging to her.

Hayley froze for a moment, then returned Hope's hug, her own face soon streaked with tears.

"I know you. Oh, my sweet girl, I know you," Hayley murmured through her sobs.

Hearing her mother call her that once more had Hope crying even harder.

"Something's been missing for so long and now I know what it was. It was you." Hayley pulled back so she could see Hope's face.

"I didn't want to bring Triad down on you," Hope whispered. "I knew you wouldn't remember me, so it didn't seem fair to make you fight a battle you didn't know you had a stake in. So I did what I had to do to survive."

"Elena was right about you."

"You talked to Elena?" Hope was surprised to hear that. Her mother talking to Elijah's new girlfriend about something so personal? She couldn't imagine that

"I wanted to get the opinion of someone who Elijah had confided in and someone who knows us. She's the only one who fits that."

"What did she say?"

"That you were the best parts of Klaus and me. That you were a survivor, willing to do whatever it took to protect your family, even if it meant taking everything on yourself."

"If I couldn't love you the way I wanted to, if the only way I could fulfill always and forever was by staying away, I would do whatever it took to keep you safe."

When she heard that, Hayley pressed a kiss to Hope's forehead, more tears flowing down her cheeks as she tightened her grip on her daughter.

"We'll find a way to bring our memories back," Hayley swore.

"The only way Uncle Elijah remembered was because he died and that's not happening to the rest of my family."

"Okay, so even if there is no way for us to remember, that just means we'll have to make new memories." Hayley pulled Hope close again.

"I've missed you, Mom, so much."

"My body remembers hugging someone who smells like you, even if you don't fit in my arms the way it feels like you should," Hayley whispered, her voice awed.

"I grew up."

"Without me." Hayley kissed Hope's temple. "I missed it all, not just the memories that Malivore stole from me, but everything else. I missed you going from the girl in those pictures to the woman you've become. I missed everything."

"I'd offer to show you, but there's not a lot to see. At least nothing worth sharing." Hope shrugged. She didn't want her mother to know just what she'd endured in the ten years she'd been at the mercy of Triad. It was difficult enough for her to know that she didn't remember her own daughter, but to see first hand what Hope had suffered? Hope would never do that to her mother.

"Elijah said you'd been tortured." Hayley's grip on Hope tightened.

Hope didn't reply as she instinctively did her best to burrow deeper into her mother's embrace.

"I'm not sure how much it helps," Ryan said softly, "but Hope killed most of them when she escaped. They paid for the pain they caused her."

"Are there any survivors?"

"A few, and they're being held in two wolf bunkers downstairs until we decide what to do with them."

"Are any of them mothers?" Hayley asked through gritted teeth.

"One."

"I want to speak to her, to ask how she'd like to have her child taken from her and to know something's missing, to ache for it, but to not be able to remember who or what it is. Because right now, thanks to what they did to my daughter, I feel like a terrible mother. I forgot my own child!"

"It's not your fault," Hope attempted to soothe Hayley.

"In my head, I know that, sweetheart. But it doesn't change the fact that they ripped away every single memory I have of you, of my baby. You're the only child I'll ever have and I don't even remember if I was there when you took your first steps or said your first words."

"I think you missed my first steps. You and Dad were fighting and he had me in the city while you and Jack were in the bayou."

"Still, one of us saw your first steps, and neither of us remember it." Hayley brushed her tears away. "And I know just who to blame. People who think it's okay to throw children into a hell dimension just because they don't understand what they are."

Hope looked at Ryan over Hayley's arm and smiled at him. This man who knew what she'd been through in the shadows of Malivore had done everything he could to bring her family back so she would have a reason to come back to herself.

"Freya is looking into ways of bringing our memories back. She thinks she may have found a black magic spell from Japan, but she needs to reverse engineer it to make sure it works properly before trying since a spell like that can erase buried memories permanently."

"I'd like to see her even if she doesn't have the spell ready."

"Freya's pregnant, and traveling isn't recommended at this point in her pregnancy, so she's making herself as useful as she can, with Davina Claire's help."

"Davina Claire. She and Kol made things more permanent?"

"They married this last fall," Hayley confirmed.

Someone knocked on the wall and the women looked to see Klaus standing in the doorway.

"I was wondering if the two of you would be willing to have dinner this evening. Caroline, Lizzie, and Josie want to get to know you, Hope, since you're yourself and you're my daughter."

"Only if Ryan is invited too. He's the one responsible for me feeling again and for bringing us together."

Klaus studied Ryan carefully, one brow going up as he processed whatever he saw in Ryan's face.

"Very well. I will make sure they set out a place for him as well."

"Thank you, Dad."

Klaus disappeared in a flash.

"I hope you don't mind?" Hope looked up at Ryan.

"Not at all. If you want me there, I'll be there."

"There will be a plate for your boyfriend to join us," Klaus said as he reentered the room.

"I've got some papers that I've been putting off grading, so I'd better get going," Ryan said, shifting awkwardly.

"Don't go." Hope held her hand out for him and he approached her slowly. Reaching up, she cupped his cheek and smiled at him.

"You need this time with your parents." Ryan held her hand to his face and kissed her wrist. "I'll see you later."

"Thank you, for saving my daughter." Hayley placed her hand on Ryan's arm and gave him a small smile.

"She's an incredible woman and I didn't save her so much as give her another option."

"You did save me. You saw me," Hope whispered as she tucked her head under her mother's chin. Her three favorite people in the world in the same room and her life was finally coming together. "When everyone else assumed they knew what I was, you saw through the bullshit."

Ryan kissed Hope's cheek lightly, then traced her lower lip with his thumb, before leaving the room.

"That man is in love with you," Hayley remarked as soon as they were alone.

Hope wanted to deny it, but she wanted to have something, anything to keep Ryan in her life. She couldn't lose him, not after he'd just given her back her family.

"I saw that before you even flipped the switch back on, Hope," Klaus agreed.

Hope wasn't sure how to feel about this. After everything she'd been through, to find that the one safe harbor she had, she could destroy if she broke his heart, it terrified her. She knew he wouldn't walk away, but to repay his kindness with that? That was the last thing she wanted.

Sleeping with him was one thing, but falling in love with him? Was she capable of feeling anything like that for anyone? If she could feel like that for anyone, it would be him, because he'd been there so much for her.

"He's a good man, Hope. He won't push you for something you're not ready for," Klaus assured her. "He's the sort of man that will be content with whatever relationship the two of you have, with whatever you're comfortable with."

"It's all just so much and I don't want to lose him."

"He's lived long enough that he understands you're drowning in what you're feeling since you're flooded with everything you've repressed and he won't be hurt if your focus isn't on him right now." Hayley rubbed Hope's arm and kissed the top of her head.

"Let's take a walk. I've been banished to give Caroline and the girls time to get things ready for dinner." Klaus led the way out back to the gardens and stable.

Hayley refused to relinquish her hold on Hope's shoulders as they walked, pressing her face into Hope's hair every so often, inhaling her scent.

At one point, Hope felt someone watching her and she looked up to find Ryan standing at a window on the second floor, watching them. When she caught his eye, he smiled at her and ducked his head.

"Told you so," Hayley whispered when she saw what Hope was looking at. "That man loves you."

"He's the best thing that's happened to me since I was taken." Hope smiled. Then her expression clouded over.

"What's wrong?" Hayley asked, concerned.

"I just hope that when we do find a way to destroy Malivore for good, it doesn't take him down too."

"There are ways, I'm sure," Klaus said. "We can talk to Freya and the other French Quarter witches about golums and how to break the connection between him and Malivore without killing him. If we have to, we'll create the spells necessary. Kol and Elijah should be the best to go to for that since they have the grimores and knowledge."

"There's no way I'm letting the man who brought my daughter back to me die when there's a chance to save him," Hayley promised.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You're our daughter," Hayley said.

"And family is always and forever," Klaus added.


	11. Chapter 11

Hope's grip on Ryan's hand tightened as they approached the rooms that Klaus and Caroline called their apartment at the school.

"Breathe, sweetheart." Ryan kissed her temple. "It'll be fine."

The door opened before they could knock to reveal Lizzie. She stepped out of the way allowing Hope and Ryan to enter the room.

"So, step-sisters," Lizzie said as she closed the door behind them.

"Yeah." Hope shrank against Ryan a little.

"Come on, dinner's ready." Lizzie led the way to a table set out with different foods that Hope couldn't even register what they were. She supposed it smelled good, but her inability to focus on anything other than being in the room with her new to her step-family, left her unable to name a single thing on the table.

"Hello, Hope," Caroline said when saw them. "Ryan."

Hope gave a small wave, but refused to relinquish her hold on Ryan's hand. She knew it was ridiculous to be afraid, after all, she was the strongest person in the room. But after the emotional turmoil she was enduring, she felt as though a small gust of wind could knock her over.

"Hope." Klaus walked over to her and gave her a hug, made awkward because she refused to let go of Ryan.

"Come on. Sit down." Caroline gestured to the table.

Josie came around the corner then and her lips curled in an attempt at a smile, though it fell flat, making Hope wince internally. She'd hurt the girl in a fit of jealousy fueled pique, even though at the time she hadn't realized she was jealous at the time, and in doing so, made her chances for a possible relationship go down considerably.

Hope hesitated before sitting down and everyone else took their seats around the table.

"Breathe, Hope. You're not with Triad now. Mistakes happen and young vampires who've been through hell can flip the switch, then come back to themselves and we forgive them." Caroline smiled softly at her.

"I hurt your daughter's feelings."

"You were hurting," Josie said. "Yeah, it sucked that you said and did what you did. But I think if some girl I didn't know was treating one of my dads the way I was treating your dad, I'd be pretty pissed too and say things."

"Thank you for that, because I do feel bad. I hurt you and I am sorry."

"It will take time to actually get over it, but I do understand why."

Hope nodded once and Ryan rubbed his thumb against her thigh, wanting to offer her strength without being blatantly disrespectful to her father.

"I flipped the switch once," Caroline said, "did things I regret. So you're not alone in what you're feeling in that regard right now."

It had been so long since anyone had cared about how she felt, what she wanted, that she wasn't sure how to process it. She wished someone could tell her if she was making a misstep and if they were just being polite and tolerating her, or if things were actually going okay.

After Klaus cut into the roast and the each had food on their plates, an awkward silence descended.

"So, why did you kill Landon this last time?" Lizzie asked suddenly.

"He talked to me with his shirt halfway unbuttoned and I didn't like it."

"Kaleb warned him that this approach wouldn't work," Lizzie sighed.

"What approach?" Hope kept her focus on cutting the slice of meat on her plate.

"He became convinced that sex would be the way to reach you since you didn't have any obvious connections," Josie supplied.

"Just because I couldn't acknowledge what I was feeling doesn't mean that I'd sleep with anyone other than Ryan."

"He was reading some books and one of them mentioned sex being a way to reach a vampire with no emotions."

"Ryan piqued my interest from the first time I saw him, so I don't know what he thought, thinking that I would go from the guy who caught my attention and I was actually with, to a boy who thought that unbuttoning his shirt and being his idea of sexy would make me suddenly want to feel again." Hope rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Dad. I know hearing anything about your little girl's sex life is awkward at best, so please ignore the last few minutes."

"I was wondering about you killing Landon, so now I know." Klaus rolled his eyes and twirled the glass of wine before taking a sip.

"Landon started crushing on Hope and he became convinced that since Ryan couldn't make you feel again, you needed someone else to try," Josie added.

"What is he to make him think I might be even intrigued by him?" Hope scoffed.

"He's a phoenix," Ryan said as if that explained everything.

"And?" Hope raised an eyebrow as she cut into her serving of the roast.

"He's the only one at the school."

"Again, and?"

"He's rare."

"I'm the tribrid." Hope rolled her eyes. "No other tribrid like me has ever existed, but there are legends about phoenixes, so he's not the only one in the world. So why would I be intrigued by something I can easily read about in books?"

"I like you," Caroline said.

Lizzie smiled and continued, "So he thinks that because no one at the school is like him that you might react at getting the attention of the only known phoenix in the school and that _being _with him would make you flip the switch."

"So the amazing phoenix gets the only tribrid to ever exist to feel again?" Hope snickered.

"He's used to being treated like a celebrity. Ever since he was killed and came back, that's all anyone ever treats him as," Josie said, her face twisting into something akin to pain.

With that, Hope knew that the other girl's pain wasn't just because of Hope's comments. It was because of Landon. Something about the boy made Josie hurt and it intertwined with Hope in a way that the tribrid didn't want to think about.

"Why would I care about celebrity when I couldn't feel? All that mattered was blood and what piqued my interest. And Ryan caught my attention because he knows a bit of what I went through with Triad. Not because because he's treated like he's special."

"Landon's so used to being treated like he's special around here, I don't think it crossed his mind that a hunter of supernatural people might not think of a phoenix as anything special." Lizzie snickered with some internal mirth.

"So he's Harry Potter without the scar," Hope snorted causing the twins choked in an effort to keep from laughing.

"I'm just glad you killed him," Josie murmured.

"You were afraid I'd fancy him," Hope siad softly.

"You're practically perfect, beautiful, mysterious, unique, dangerous. What's not to like?" Josie seemed to wilt.

"He was your ex," Hope observed.

Josie nodded, her shoulders sinking even more.

"I'm sorry. I never wanted his attention and I never encouraged it," Hope said softly.

"I know," Josie whispered.

"Any guy who breaks up with a girl like you are for someone like I was is a crap guy."

Josie smiled at her and some of the tension left her shoulders.

"Freya contacted me. She thinks she might have the spells necessary to bring back our memories," Klaus said. "Keelin's volunteered to be the test subject since she didn't know you very well, so if it doesn't work, she won't have a lot to lose."

"How soon will we know?"

"Tonight sometime. She said she'd call me as soon as she knew for certain."

"Magic like that is very dark and it can have negative affects on the baby, if she does it herself."

"Vincent will do the spell and if it's successful, he'll come here and perform it on the rest of us. Kol is packed up and ready to go."

"He thinks it'll work?" She wanted to fight the fledgling desire to hope, but if Kol truly believed that the spell could work, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"He does. Vincent is a powerful witch and with plenty of experience in dark magic, so he should be able to pull it off without so much as a hitch."

When they returned to Hope's room, she tossed Ryan onto the bed and straddled him, kissing and nipping at his throat.

"Damn, sweetheart, I've missed this," Ryan sighed as he tilted his head back.

Instead of speaking, Hope tore his shirt from him and raked her nails down his chest. Ryan flipped them and then they started removing their clothing in desperation while trading kisses that were more teeth and tongue than lips.

"Take me, Ryan." Hope arched beneath him and caught his ear between her lips, tugging on it lightly. "I need you. Please."

"It's been too long, sweetheart."

With a snap of his hips, he thrust into her body and they both moaned.

"Just like that, Ryan. Yes, just like that." Hope rocked beneath him as she slid her legs higher up his waist, taking him more deeply.

"You feel so damn good, sweetheart."

"Love the way you feel inside me."

"Hope. I love you. I love you." Ryan kissed her deeply, linking one of his hands with one of hers, bracing himself on that hand so he could look down into her eyes..

Hearing him say that while buried deep inside her, Hope clung to him, pressing her face against his neck as she whimpered, "I love you too. I love you, Ryan."

Ryan rested his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling as they moved together.

"I love you." Hope dug her fingers into his back, clinging to him, the feeling of his muscles moving beneath her hands heightening her own pleasure.

As they neared climax, the fire racing through her veins, Hope wailed something that may have been his name and Ryan groaned in response. Pleasure raced through her body and Ryan spilled inside her as her internal muscles clenched around him.

When they caught their breath, Hope dug her fingers into his hair, holding his head against her breasts.

"I love you," Ryan whispered then his tongue darted out to caress the nipple nearest his mouth lightly.

"I love you too." Hope pressed her face into his curls and kissed him. "I love you, Ryan Clarke."

Ryan kissed her clavicle and cupped her breast.

"Are you sure you want to be bound into the Mikaelsons? We're crazy and people who love us have the tendency to get hurt."

"I'm one of Malivore's creations. Do you want to be bound to him? He is the reason you endured ten years of hell."

"But you're the one who saved me and you've given me back my life and my family." Hope rolled onto her side and cupped his cheek.

"So the angel fell in love with the devil." Ryan kissed her wrist.

"Which of us is the angel and which is the devil?"

Someone rapped on the door.

"I won't ask you to answer the door," Elijah said, "but I thought you'd like to know that the spell was successful and Vincent and Kol are on their way here. By this time tomorrow, everyone you love will remember you, Hope."

"Thank you, Uncle Elijah." Hope's heart started to pound.

"Goodnight Hope, Ryan." Elijah walked away then.

Once he was gone, Ryan tugged Hope so that her head was beneath his chin and ran his fingers through her hair.

"You're getting your family back, sweetheart."

"You'd better not leave me."

"No, sweetheart. I love you and I'm not leaving unless you tell me to go. You're the first person to actually see me and want me for me, instead of what they can get from me and what I can offer because of what I am and what I know. Even at your worst, you saw me."

"I love you, Ryan." Hope kissed his neck and used magic to pull the blankets over their bodies.


	12. Chapter 12

Hope woke up the next morning draped across Ryan's chest, her leg draped over his torso. Ryan traced patterns across her back with his fingertips and Hope kissed his sternum in response.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Ryan murmured against her hair. "How are you feeling?"

"I get my family back, for real, then we'll find a way to save you from Malivore and destroy him for good. I couldn't be happier."

Ryan flipped them so that Hope was lying on her back and he palmed one of her breasts as he sucked on her neck.

"Ryan," Hope sighed, drawing one leg up his side.

"I love you, Hope."

Ryan thrust into her drawing a moan from her. The pace he set was slow, almost leisurely, and Hope carded her fingers into his hair to secure his lips to hers. Sighing into her mouth, he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding along hers.

As the coil in her lower belly tightened, Hope rocked harder beneath him with a whimper. But all he did was grin down at her and when he didn't do what she wanted, she flipped him beneath her and started to ride him.

"Yes, Hope. Oh, damn." Ryan threw his head back, his lips parting.

Now that she was in charge of things, she took him as hard as she could and it didn't take long before the coil snapped and Hope cried out, slumping across his chest. Ryan groaned, thrusting up a few more times before he climaxed.

As he caught his breath, he pulled Hope against him, kissing the side of her hair.

"Sex with you is the best way to start the day," Ryan whispered.

Someone banging on the door cut off whatever else he was about to say.

"What?" Hope called, annoyed.

"Hope!" Kol shouted through the door. "The two of you had better be dressed in ten minutes, because I'm coming in!"

"Uncle Kol!" Hope sat up, grinning.

"Come on. We can finish this later."

Ryan climbed out of bed and Hope was momentarily distracted by the sight of her lover standing bared in the morning light. With his pale skin turned golden by the suns' rays and his dark hair glistening, Hope wanted to throw him back onto the bed and ride him again.

"You're staring, sweetheart." Ryan grinned as he grabbed his pants off the floor.

"What can I say? You are a beautiful man." Hope looked up at him from under her lashes.

"Keep looking at me like that and your uncle may just walk in on something he doesn't want to see." Ryan smirked and caught his lower lip between his teeth.

"Maybe later." Hope sat up, allowing the sheets to fall down to her waist, exposing her breasts.

"Offer me that deathless death, good God, let me give you my life." Ryan walked over to her and pulled her up to him, so he could kiss her.

"That song again?" Hope tapped his nose lightly with her finger.

"Get dressed and tonight, I'll show you just how much I like that song, and why it makes me think of you, because everything I've ever hoped for and dreamed of is staring back at me right now." Ryan brushed her hair out of her face.

"I think I'd better get dressed. Kol's not exactly known for his patience." She kissed the corner of his mouth,

No sooner was Hope decent and brushing her hair out that the door opened, to reveal Kol standing there, with tears in his eyes.

"Hey, Bunny." Kol raced over to her and pulled her tightly against him, hugging her.

"Uncle Kol."

"I've missed you. Every day, I knew something wasn't right and then, when Vincent did his spell, it all made sense."

"I've missed you, so much."

"The entire family has been in pieces since you were taken and now that you're here, we're coming back together again."

"When's Rebekah coming in?"

"Her flight lands a few hours."

"Is Davina here too?"

"She'll be on her way as soon as she ties off a few loose ends that I dropped when I came here. So two days, hopefully."

"I've spent the last ten years alone and now you're all coming back into my life." Tears filled her eyes and spilled over.

"Don't cry, Bunny. Today's supposed to be happy."

"I'm not sad, Uncle Kol. I promise." More tears spilled over. "I haven't been this happy since we were all in that farmhouse together, right before the Hollow attacked."

"You're home now, Bunny. You're home." Kol rested his cheek on top of her head, inhaling her scent, then leaned back, his nose wrinkling."You smell like sex."

"That's what happens when I'm woken up and not given a chance to take a shower when I spent the night with my boyfriend," Hope said with a grin

"I probably should have given you a little more time to get ready." Kol laughed.

"Now you know better."

"I was just so used to thinking of you as seven years old, I forgot that you grew up."

"Just because I'm grown up doesn't mean I don't need my family just as much as I did when I was a kid, if not more so."

"I think I'll give you a minute to shower and redress. You smelling the way you do makes me want to punch your boyfriend since I'm still struggling to accept that in my mind, you grew up overnight." Kol ruffled her hair and left the room.

"We don't have time for anything, do we?" Ryan whispered, catching her ear between his teeth

"I'm afraid not." Hope glanced towards the door and pouted.

"Let's get your family put back together before our hormones run away with us."

"If that's the case, maybe you shouldn't take a shower with me." Hope ran her hand down his chest. How could any man be so beautiful? Yes, she knew Malivore had created his face, but it was Ryan who put expressions on that face. "I might be tempted to make Kol wait a while longer."

"I'm already tempted."

With one last kiss to his lips, Hope headed towards the bathroom. She scrubbed down quickly, trying to erase enough of the scent of sex from her body. Her cheeks burned when she remembered that Klaus and Elijah had already smelled the evidence of what she and Ryan did most every night.

When she left the bathroom, clad only in a towel, Ryan sighed, and came up behind her. Brushing her her hair over one shoulder, he cupped her breasts and kissed the back of her neck.

"We're supposed to be hurrying up." Hope sighed, tilting her head to one side so he had better access.

"Tonight, sweetheart."

"You'd better go ahead take a shower. I want my uncle to meet you properly." Hope kissed his cheek, then stepped out of his embrace to dress.

A few minutes later, they found Kol waiting for them in a small alcove, pacing.

"Hey, Uncle Kol." Hope hugged him again.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?" Kol teased.

"This is Ryan Clarke. He's the Monster Lore instructor here at the school and the one who figured out what I needed to feel again."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Clarke. Thank you for returning Hope to us." Kol shook his hand.

"I love her and making her happy matters more to me than anything else."

"Good. Knowing that my bunny has found someone who cares about her the way you do, I have to worry just a little bit less."

"You don't have to worry at all, Uncle Kol."

"I've missed out on worrying about you for the last ten years. So, please bear with me while I catch up."

"Just so long as your worrying doesn't extend too far into my relationship with Ryan." Hope rubbed Kol's back and laughed.

"I'll always be worried about you, Hope. But the fact that I've heard he's a good man and since he makes you smile, I'll be less concerned." Kol ruffled her hair.

As the sun set, Vincent stood in the center of the remaining Mikaelsons, minus Freya, with the people who cared about the Mikaelsons not far away. Hope gripped on Ryan's hand tightened as Vincent started chanting.

"Breathe, sweetheart. Soon, your family and everyone you love will remember you."

"Except for Freya."

"She'll remember you just as soon as the baby's born." Ryan kissed the side of her head. "Then, you'll have your entire family with you."

"I'll have my family and you." Hope kissed his shoulder.

"Always."

Everyone who'd been affected by Malivore erasing the memories of Hope collapsed then and Hope helped the men lay them out more comfortably. When Hope situated Hayley so that she was lying on her back, she leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Soon, Mom, you'll remember me and you'll love me for real."

Once everyone was lying in less painful positions, Hope sat down and pulled Hayley's head into her lap, so she could stroke her mother's hair.

"For what it's worth," Vincent said as he squatted down in front of her, "Freya tried convincing me to perform the spell on her as well, because she wants to remember the girl she has pictures of, but can't remember. However, I won't be responsible for harming the child she's carrying."

"Your child."

"I simply helped out a couple who wanted to be parents. The child might be mine biologically, but he is theirs in every way that matters." Vincent shook his head, a faint smile playing around his lips.

"Doesn't mean you don't care a little more about it because it's the continuing of your bloodline, even if you don't claim the child is yours."

"You're a smart woman, Hope and you're not wrong, I care about their son and I'm happy they've agreed that I can be a part of his life."

Suddenly Hayley sat up, at looked around wildly before she saw Hope, her eyes going wide as she searched her daughter's face.

"Hi, Mom," Hope whispered.

"My little girl, all grown up." Hayley cupped Hope's cheek as tears streamed down her face. "You're back. You came back."

"I'm back."

"Hope," a male voice

Hope looked up to find Klaus on his knees, staring at her, blue eyes filled with tears.

"Dad."

"My littlest wolf." Klaus pulled Hope into his arms, burying his face into her hair. "I'm so sorry, Hope. I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Hope caste about in her mind for why he would be apologizing, but drew a blank.

"For how I treated you before."

"You didn't know who I was and I didn't exactly endear myself to you or anyone else. I was always looking for a fight."

Hayley wrapped her arms around Hope then, and she finally felt the pieces of herself come together as her parents held her in their arms. Here, with their arms around her, and her lover standing behind her, with the other members of her family nearby, she was finally home.

"Hope." Rebekah knelt down behind Hope and kissed the back of her head.

Rain started falling then and they got to their feet, heading towards the school. Klaus and Hayley refused to let go of their daughter as they walked, so she smiled at her lover over her shoulder and he grinned in response.

"You can introduce us later," Hayley whispered when she caught who Hope was looking at.

"He's the one who saved me," Hope said. "From the first moment he saw me, he actually saw me, not who I was pretending to be."

"He sounds like a good man."

"He's the best."

"I've only just found my daughter again, only to have lost her before I ever found her," Klaus griped.

"I'll always be your little girl, Dad, and I'm always going to need you. Being in a relationship with someone doesn't mean I love you any less, I promise."


	13. Chapter 13

As they walked through the house towards the kitchen with Hope between her parents, their arms around her, she heard raised voices. She paused, glancing at her parents with one brow raised, and they came to a halt beside her so she could listen.

"But I think we'd have chemistry, if she'd give me a chance!" Landon hissed.

"I agree," Lizzie said.

"Lizzie!" Josie gasped.

"You'd have chemistry, though it'd be a very endothermic reaction."

"I'm a phoenix. I'm the only one of my kind, and she's the only one like her. She'd get me."

"There were other phoenixes though. There have been no other tribrids. And species has nothing to do with how people get along. Hope and Ryan fit because he gets her and doesn't think they have to be together because they're the only ones of their kinds," Lizzie finally snapped. "You need to accept that just because you're a part of a rare species that doesn't mean you can't find belonging among other species if you let yourself."

"Come on. Eavesdropping is rude, you know that." Hayley tugged Hope away from the squabbling students.

"Now it makes sense, why he kept trying to find ways to get my attention," Hope said softly as she followed her mother. "He doesn't know how to navigate this world he's in, being the only one like him that he knows of, and he saw me, being the only one like me and the wires got crossed in his head."

"You're very understanding towards my idiot, little brother," Ryan chuckled.

"Everyone deserves a little kindness. It makes the rest of the madness we deal with on a daily basis easier to manage." Hope smiled over her shoulder at her lover.

When they arrived in the kitchen, Elijah set about making supper.

Hayley took the stool on one side of Hope and Klaus took the other, but that didn't stop Ryan from wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head. Hope ran her hand up and down his arm lightly.

"So, Hope, aren't you going to introduce us?" Hayley indicated Ryan's arms around her.

"Mom, this is Ryan Clarke. I guess you can call him my boyfriend, but he's definitely important to me. Ryan, my mother, Hayley Marshall-Kenner."

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"Thank you, for saving my daughter, Ryan, and for bringing her back."

"I never thought that a mud man would be able to make such a difference in our lives," Rebekah mused.

"In the original Jewish myths, golems are protectors. They're good when they're influenced by the right people." Hope rubbed Ryan's arm again. "Not that I want to influence or control you. I just won't let anyone talk down about you."

"I know, sweetheart."

"I apologize, to you both. I swear I wasn't trying to be rude. I've just never encountered a golem capable of thinking for themselves and feeling so deeply before."

"Thank you," Ryan said, though there was subtle tension in his voice.

"I'm sure you're tired of people judging you for what you are and here I was doing exactly that. Thinking that because I've experienced so much that I know everything. It just goes to show that we don't know as much as we think we do, no matter how long we've lived." Rebekah smiled sadly.

"It's just a fact of life that I have to live with considering what I am. I'm used to it by now." Ryan rested his cheek against Hope's hair.

Hope leaned back against him, wishing she could take at least some of the pain she heard in his voice.

How many centuries of hurt did he carry? How much rejection had he been forced to endure before he met her? What if she was the first person to see him? Her heart ached with the thought. He was a sweet person who cared, if he was given the chance to show it. Why couldn't more people look past his species and see the man he truly was?

"I am sorry though. Truly."

"It would seem that Malivore was created by people who didn't know how to handle this creature they'd created and that's why he got out of control, then created beings that none of us have ever encountered before, even if they are technically golems," Elijah mused as he poured batter onto the steaming griddle.

"So a new species altogether?" Hayley tilted her head to examine the man holding her daughter.

"More like a subspecies of golem. A golem capable of thinking and feeling for himself, while still being a protector."

Ryan shifted uncomfortably behind her and Hope knew it was time to get the conversation shifted away from him.

"Breakfast for dinner?" Hope asked Elijah.

"Of course." Elijah placed strips of bacon into another pan and smiled at his niece. "What person who likes pancakes wouldn't want them for dinner?"

"Is there enough to go around?" Lizzie asked from the doorway. Josie peeked around her sister's elbow.

"Of course. This is a family meal and you are family." Elijah motioned for them to come in.

"I heard what you said to Landon," Hope said after a long moment.

"Was it too much?" Lizzie asked with a wince.

"You were a bit more blunt than I would have been, but then again, you seem to be a blunt person and to ask you to not speak your mind would be to ask you to change who you are. And I have to admit that it gave me hope."

"For what?"

"That we might actually be more like sisters. If that's going too far, I'm sorry. But your mom and my dad are together and I really want-"

"I think you'd be a great sister," Josie cut in.

Before she could do or say anything, tears suddenly filled Hope's eyes and she turned her face into Ryan's arm as she started crying.

"It's okay, sweetheart. It's okay." Ryan tightened his hold on her.

"What's wrong? What did we do?" Lizzie asked, panicking.

"It's just too much," Hope whispered.

"Shh. It's okay."

Unable to contradict him, Hope dug her fingers into his shirt, trying to anchor herself as best as she could in this new storm she found herself in.

"We didn't mean to make her upset!" Lizzie continued.

"It's okay," Klaus assured the twins. "Hope has been through hell so she's still learning to process accepting people loving and caring for her."

Hayley tried reaching for her, but Hope flinched away.

"Let her be for a moment," Klaus caught Hayley when she reached for her daughter again.

"Klaus-"

"She's overwhelmed, so she won't be able to recognize us comforting her right now," Elijah said softly, his expression twisting with guilt.

"It's not your fault," Elena murmured.

"But it is. I knew she was out there and I looked for the why, when I should have been looking for her."

"It hurts," Hope whimpered.

"I know, sweetheart," Ryan whispered.

"Why?"

"Because when you don't know how to process kindness and love. There's nothing wrong with you, Hope. You just need to relearn how to accept that again, especially from your family."

"How do you know?"

"You know my story, sweetheart. You know what I've been through. That's how I know. And I know it'll take time for you to be able to actually be able to accept positive reactions from people, but it's not impossible."

For a long moment, the only sounds were of Elijah cooking and the quiet breathing of the other occupants in the room while Ryan continued to run his hand over Hope's hair in an effort to soothe her. Hayley and Klaus sat in desperate silence, wishing they were the ones able to offer their daughter comfort."

Finally, Hope sat back and brushed her hand roughly across her face to wipe away her tears.

"Sorry about that," she mumbled, hanging her head.

"Don't apologize. You're still processing all the emotions you've been forced to repress for the last ten years, not to mention remembering what it's like to feel again after flipping the switch," Hayley said as she reached for Hope's arm in an effort to comfort her daughter.

"Perhaps some food and some blood are in order," Elijah suggested.

"Yes," Kol agreed. "Food and blood always help no matter what you're going through."

Hope perked up when she heard that and her gums ached with the thought of quenching her thirst. Elijah caught her reaction and he grinned as he started passing out plates of food while Kol poured out glasses of blood for the vampires. Josie helped herself to some orange juice, then poured some for the non-vampires in the room.

Picking Hope up, Ryan sat her on his lap and then started cutting her pancakes up.

"What are you doing?" Hope giggled.

Stabbing a bit of pancake with the fork, he lifted it to her mouth.

"This. Now open up."

Hope wrapped her lips around the bite with a smile.

"Are you going to feed me everything on this plate?" she asked after she swallowed the bite.

"Of course." Ryan kissed her temple.

With Hayley on one side, Klaus on the other, and sitting on Ryan's lap while surrounded by her family, she didn't think she could ever be happier, except the specter of Malivore hanging over their heads and what it could mean for Ryan.

"We need to deal with Malivore, once and for all, while making sure that Ryan doesn't get hurt," Hope said after a moment.

"I've been gathering grimores ever since I remembered you," Elijah informed her.

"You have?" Hope raised an eyebrow.

"I knew that whatever happened to you, especially since it erased you from our memories, it had to have involved dark magic. So, I started acquiring everything I could get my hands on that might help lead me to you or at least what happened to you."

"He found so many grimores, we eventually had to send them to New Orleans for Freya to store because there was no way we could keep them with us," Elena laughed, running her nails across his shoulders as she spoke.

"There are several hundred at least," Hayley confirmed.

"So, it'll take time." Hope slumped against Ryan and sighed.

"You took Malivore down pretty hard and with you pumping him full of your fully activated tribrid blood, it'll take him a while to recover from that, so we've got time." Ryan fed her another bite of pancakes.

"Ryan's right, and perhaps Freya and Keelin can get those grimores sent up here so we can start looking," Elijah commented.

"How do you plan on saving me?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know, but I'll find a way, I promise." Hope licked the crumbs off her lips, then kissed him softly.

"I know you will. You are the most powerful witch I've ever met." Ryan fed her another bite, then kissed the tip of her nose.

"You two are disgustingly sweet, I think I'm getting cavities," Lizzie teased.

"Brushing and flossing regularly works wonders to prevent that," Ryan replied.

Hope snickered around the food in her mouth and Lizzie stuck her tongue out at her.

"I just sent a text to Freya. She said she'll have some people get them ready to ship up. Most of them still in the packages I sent them in, but she admitted to snooping in some of them so they need to be reboxed." Elijah tucked his phone back into his jacket.

"Thank you, for helping me with this," Hope said softly.

She sniffed back tears that suddenly sprang into her eyes once more and Ryan rubbed her back softly as he kissed her temple.

"Ryan brought you back to us, so we owe him this at the very least."

"And we all feel the same," Klaus agreed. "Having you back in my life filled this whole I couldn't fill, no matter how I tried. No one could take the place of my biological daughter that we all fought so hard to keep safe."

After that, the conversation drifted to more mundane things and Hope tucked her head under Ryan's chin, sighing in contentment.


	14. Chapter 14

Hope stood at the kitchen counter carefully folding together the dough she needed to make her mille feuille. The difficulty of the puff pastry and custard dessert kept her distracted from the fact that Ryan had a class and she couldn't have her wicked way with him. She didn't think the administrators would approve of her barging into his class to drag him off right in the middle of his lecture.

Across the kitchen, the school chefs worked, allowing Hope to do her thing. Having her take over dessert gave them one less job they had to do, and since she seemed to know what she was doing, they didn't seem to mind her being there.

A pair of high heels against the tile caught her attention and she glanced up just in time to see Rebekah entering the room

"Freya sent this spell," Rebekah said, handing a faded sheet of parchment over to Hope. "She said it's the original spell to create a golem and thought you might make use of it to help free Clarke from his creator."

Hope dusted her floury hands off on her apron before taking the spell and studying it carefully. "Thank you, and thank her when you see her."

"You can thank her yourself after the baby is born. She misses you, but she's not sure how to act since she doesn't remember you, so she does what she knows. She offers magical help."

"This is amazing though. "Where did she get it?"

"She had a version of it and used it when you were a baby to try to trick Dahlia, but she became curious about golems after we met your boyfriend. She knew there had to be more because this spell wouldn't have allowed for the creation of Malivore, so she started doing some digging. The spell that created Malivore is a bastardized version of this."

"Right, because golems are protectors, yet they created a monster."

"Exactly. Freya said that with the original spell, you should also be able to find a way to destroy Malivore that doesn't involve killing yourself."

"My blood weakens him."

"So," Kol joined the conversation then, "after you separate your toy boy from the pit, create another golem, one pumped full of your blood, and send it into the next portal. If it's got a heartbeat and simulates you, it should be enough to destroy him."

"Toy boy?" Hope paused what she was doing and looked up at Kol with a raised eyebrow, confused. Had he gotten the phrase turned around on accident?

"You know, because he was created instead of born."

"Please, Uncle Kol, no insulting him for being what he is. It hurts his feelings, even if he doesn't admit it, constantly being reminded that people don't consider him a real person because of how he came into being."

"I'm sorry, Bunny, I didn't realize. But, I will be sure to avoid teasing him about that from now on."

"Knowing you, you'll find something else soon enough to poke at him about." Hope turned the pastry one more time, then set it on the tray so she could return it to the refrigerator as she spoke.

"Of course. He's my niece's boyfriend. That practically makes him family. Why wouldn't I poke at him?"

"You're very accepting of him."

"I've seen the way you look at each other. That, coupled with the lengths he went to to bring you home, he definitely deserves it." Kol chuckled.

Hope smiled, but didn't look up from where she was working on another element of her dish.

"Where did you learn to bake like this?" Rebekah asked, eyeing her work.

"I had to do something during my down time that bored Agent Burr out of his mind if he was spying on me, so baking it was, and it had the added advantage of keeping me calm." Hope started whisking the ingredients together. "It's one of the few times I was happy."

"So you learned to make incredibly intricate desserts?" Rebekah stole a raspberry.

"The longer I could forget where I was, the easier it was to exist."

"Now you're making enough mille feuille to feed the entire school because your boyfriend is working? We should keep him busy all the time." Kol teased.

"You can have him during the day, but he's mine at night or heads will roll." Hope scowled, but she couldn't keep her expression serious for very long and she started laughing.

"As long as you cook like this while he's busy, I think we can give you some time with him," Kol pretended to concede.

"I have to be in the mood for it now. Cooking and baking were where I hid before, but I don't need to hide now."

"Fine, as long as there's a possibility of you cooking like this sometimes."

"If I ever get into the mood for something other than what your school chefs make, yes, I can guarantee that I'll be in here." Hope worked in silence for a moment, then what Kol said earlier caught her attention. "Did you find another portal?"

"We did. That's where Elijah is right now, guarding it so nothing slips out."

"So, the next full moon, I'll perform the spells."

"The moon will be full three days from now," Kol informed her.

"The sooner we free Ryan, the sooner we can kill Malivore, and we'll be free of him and his tricks."

"Perhaps we can prepare the blood we'll need for the sacrificial golem now, so you'll have time to recover by the time we're ready for the spell."

"Will someone else be creating the other golem? Or will I be doing both?" Hope asked next.

"Davina told me that she'd be able to help with the decoy golem. Because what you'll be doing for Ryan will drain you too much to be effective with any other major spells until you rest, and by then, the full moon will have passed."

"That will definitely make it easier for everyone."

"I'll get things set up for you to donate blood to the cause." Kol stole a berry on his way towards the door and Hope stuck her tongue out at him.

Three nights later found Hope standing in the center of a flaming pentagram, chanting a spell as she used magic to form a new body for Ryan out of a combination of earth and a little bit of her blood, binding his life force to hers.

Somewhere else, near the portal, Davina was performing a similar spell, but Hope forced the thoughts from her mind, focusing entirely on getting everything right for Ryan. This was his best chance at being freed of his father and she didn't want to screw it up.

Finally, the body was complete and Hope lowered the flames. Ryan approached her, then laid down beside the new body Hope created.

"Are you ready?" Hope asked him, brushing her fingers down his face.

"I'm ready."

Pressing a kiss to his forehead, she started the spell to transfer his consciousness. A soft, blue glow rose from his chest and floated over to Ryan's new body. As the last words left her lips, the new body's chest rose and fell and he blinked a few times.

"Hello." Hope smiled down at him.

Instead of speaking, Ryan caught her wrist and kissed her palm, the corners of his mouth going up against her skin.

Was it just her imagination, or was his skin warmer to the touch than it had been before? She wasn't sure and it didn't matter to be honest.

"How do you feel?"

"Naked." He got to his feet, towering over her, and the expression on his face told her that he wasn't the slightest bit bothered by his lack of clothing.

"Aside from that, how do you feel?" Hope asked, suddenly breathless at the sight of her lover completely bared in the moonlight.

"I feel good. I feel free." He cupped her cheek and kissed her softly.

"Let's get you dressed so we can get back to our room." Hope ran her fingertips down his chest, suddenly desperate to feel him against her. This body wasn't bound to the monster who'd destroyed all memory of her. Instead, it was bound to her, wholly and completely.

"Patience, sweetheart. Unless you want to make use of these trees?" He tilted his head towards the nearest trunk.

"I don't want bark in my back."

"Pity." He smirked at her.

"Get dressed."

"I don't see the point of getting dressed if you're just going to get me undressed."

"While I don't mind, I don't think my dad would approve of you walking through the school like this."

Smirking, Ryan picked up the small bag she'd packed for the evening's activities and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Hope watched him move, distracted for a long moment by his perfection.

"What about my old body?"

His voice broke her out of the fog of her desire and she blinked hard to focus.

"We can't exactly leave it there for just anyone to find."

"While you're getting dressed, I'll deal with it."

With a flick of her wrist and another spell, the body that Malivore created disappeared in trails of dust. As the body faded, a weight lifted from Hope's shoulders. She no longer had to worry about Ryan dying when they killed Malivore and he no longer had a reason to feel guilty for being disloyal to the monster.

Once Ryan was dressed, he came up behind Hope and wrapped his arms around her, his hand sliding lower on her belly towards the top of her pants, then slid just beneath the band. It seemed as though she wasn't the only one who needed to get to their room.

"It's over. Malivore no longer has any control over you." Hope leaned back against him, her body molding into his.

"I'm all yours, sweetheart." He ran his other hand along the line of skin between her shirt and pants.

"Before we get too distracted, we do need to let Davina know she can send the golem into the pit." Hope pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent a quick text to Davina.

"Anything else we need to do before we go?"

"This." Hope cast another spell, that gathered everything together and filled the bag.

Her phone buzzed again and she opened the text.

"What's going on?"

"Davina says that the portal is closed. She's going to do a few spells over the next few hours, just to check if Malivore is really gone, but from what she says, she thinks he's dead."

"Good." Ryan nuzzled the side of her head. "Are we ready?"

"We are. Now, let's get going. I want to try out my handiwork." Hope kissed his neck.

When they arrived back at the school, they hurried through the foyer. Someone called her name, but she ignored it, choosing instead to tighten her grip on Ryan's hand and they ran towards the stairs, giggling when she tripped on a step.

"I'd rather you not be bleeding, sweetheart." Ryan caught her arm, pulling her flush against him.

Biting her lower lip, Hope wrapped her arms around him and flashed up the rest stairs to their bedroom.

Closing the door behind her, Hope pressed Ryan against it. Tearing his shirt over his head, she kissed across his chest, from one nipple to the other.

"I love you, Ryan Clarke."

Hope wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, tugging him down closer to her level as she stood on tiptoe, so she could kiss him. His tongue swept into her mouth and his hands slid down her body to her bottom, so he could lift her. In response, Hope wrapped her legs around his waist.

"I love you, Hope Mikaelson." Ryan cupped her cheek.

"Bed, now."

Ryan grinned and crossed the room in a few quick strides. Tipping Hope back on the bed, he pulled her shirt over her head, then undid her bra, freeing her breasts.

"You are so beautiful, Hope." Ryan tugged her pants down her legs and kissed her belly.

When Ryan crawled up her body, Hope flipped them over, straddling his hips. The feel of his erection pressing against her panty-clad entrance had Hope moaning and she cast another spell to strip them both.

"Not getting much of a test run, is it, sweetheart?" Ryan teased breathlessly.

"I need you. I need you. Now." Rising up on her knees, she took him inside her.

"I love you!" Ryan groaned, throwing his head back.

"You're mine, Ryan Clarke. All mine," Hope moaned as she started rocking against him.

"Yes, sweetheart." He gripped her hips, encouraging her to ride him harder.

The coil in her lower belly tightened faster than it had ever before and all too soon, she found herself crying out as she climaxed.

When she caught her breath, she draped herself across his body, burying her face in his neck.

"Is this how it's going to be for the rest of our lives?" Ryan whispered against her hair. "You and me, just like this?"

"That sounds like a dream, doesn't it?"

"A dream I never dared allow myself to have."

"You're a part of the Mikaelson family now. Dreams and nightmares are sometimes one and the same."

"I can deal with the nightmares if you're there."

"Always, Ryan Clarke. And forever."


	15. Chapter 15

"You're only just now getting ready to deal with Veronica?" Hope asked Hayley as she sat across from her in the library.

"Yes." Her mother nodded her head

"Why? She's been locked up for months."

"Because revenge is a dish best served cold and I haven't been calm enough to do it right."

"That, and you needed to be sure MG wouldn't side with his mother or want it to be taken back later," Hope guessed.

"That too. He had to come around to seeing that his mother was a monster, willing to hurt anyone, including him if he got in her way. The goal is to punish her, but keep as much blow back as possible from MG since he never asked to be a vampire or to have her for a mother."

"He's a sweet guy. Making her forget she has a son would keep him safe from her anyway."

"Maybe I should make her forget that the supernatural exists entirely, just to be sure that MG actually is safe from her." Hayley looked at the clock on the wall. "Freya should be landing soon. And then, you'll have your entire family back."

"It'll be amazing to have her back."

"She's excited to have the spell finally done and have her memories of you returned. Keelin said she nearly forgot the diaper bag on the way out the door."

"That's not good." Hope giggled. "Poor little Finn, almost not having any diapers on the plane."

"Fortunately for Freya, Keelin double-checked." Hayley stood her expression hardening.

"You're going to deal with Veronica now, aren't you?"

"I am. Do you want to come along?"

Hope thought about it for a long moment, then shook her head. "I got my revenge on her already when I killed her minions and got her locked up. It's your turn now."

"Okay. I think your friends would like you to join them anyway."

"To help MG with what's going on with his mother, however I can," Hope said as she headed towards the door.

"He and Kaleb seem to be good friends."

"They are."

Once things calmed down and Hope settled into life at the school, serving as a fighting instructor since she could fill the role of any species they needed her to be, the two vampires took it upon themselves to befriend her, Kaleb especially.

"I'm glad. Seeing you have the life I wanted for you, it makes me happy. Now, go help your friend, because I'm about to take his mother away."

Hope found MG punching a bag in the gym, his face a mask of concentration.

"You wanna talk about it?" Hope asked.

"Am I a bad son?"

"Why would you be bad?"

"I'm letting them take my mother's memories away. I mean, I know she's done so many horrible things, especially to you, but..." he trailed off.

"She's still your mother."

"But, if she could do that to a kid, I can't be her family anymore and it hurts that I love her."

"By letting her go, you're keeping her from ever being able to hurt anyone like that again and without her memories, my family won't have any reason to hurt her, so it keeps her and your dad safe too, so if you think of it as saving them, it may make it easier to deal with."

"Yeah. That's a good way of looking at it. It's a small price to pay, all things considered, and Kaleb's family has been great."

"Especially Kym?" Hope teased.

"Shut up. But she's human and I don't know if she wants to turn."

"The beautiful thing about being a vampire is that we live for a very long time, so our love lives aren't dictated by the short constraints that humans are and can love more than one person epically."

"You won't."

"Ryan and I are different, so our story is different." Hope placed her hands on the bag, bracing it so MG could hit it harder. "Just let go and things will fall into place. Look at the rest of my family. Complicated and more than one epic love for some of them, but they've found people they want to spent centuries with. It took most of then their entire lives until this point to find that person though, so think long term."

"You're not much older than I am, but you give the best advice." MG smiled. "Letting my mother go to keep her safe and letting go and just seeing what happens when it comes to girls. Come on. Let's go find Kaleb."

"He and Jed still competing for Alyssa?" Hope asked.

"Yeah." MG winced.

"I would mention her personality, but considering how I was when I abandoned my humanity, I've got no room to talk." Hope winced.

"You were only a bitch when riled though," MG defended who she used to be, like the sweet guy he was. "Anyway, I'd almost prefer if they were after Penelope, and she's Queen Satan as far as the twins are concerned."

"She definitely screwed up with Josie, didn't she?" Hope shook her head. "Hopefully, she figures it out before she loses the opportunity to fix things."

"First Landon, now Penelope. Josie just can't win, can she?"

"She's definitely had a run of bad luck, though, I think the things with Penelope can be fixed."

"Maybe." MG pursed his lips, then his expression cleared. "I heard that your aunt will be getting her memories back tonight."

"Hopefully, but it all depends on whether or not Vincent feels up to the spell as soon as they get here."

"Right, because dark magic takes more out of a person."

"Exactly."

They came around the corner to find Jed and Kaleb talking.

"We have feelings," Jed was saying.

"Right."

"I'm guessing Alyssa was being typical Alyssa and now they don't know what to do about it even though she's like this all the time," Hope whispered loudly, pretending to share a secret with MG even though the boys in question could clearly hear her.

"Hey!" the wolf and vampire both turned to her and Hope snickered.

"I'm just saying, she's got an attitude and everyone knows it, so if you can't deal with it, I wonder if you like her for her face or because of herself." Hope shrugged.

"I care about her, Hope. I just wish she'd see that," Jed sighed. "What did you see in Ryan that made you like him?"

"Um, he intrigued me."

"So, find something that intrigues her?" Kaleb's brows furrowed.

"She and I are two different people."

"Do you have any tips?" Jed demanded, desperate.

"Be patient and get to know her as best you can. That's all the advice I can give you to be honest."

"Hope!" Lizzie called, running towards them. "I need help!"

"What's going on?" Hope turned towards the blonde, concerned.

"Girl stuff." Lizzie grabbed Hope's arm and led her away from the boys. "Sisters only."

"We weren't finished!" Jed called after them.

"You're trying to get my sister to help you get into Alyssa Chang's pants and I'm rescuing her."

Late that night, Hope sat beside Freya as she lay on her bed, waiting for her aunt to wake up. Ryan stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder, rubbing his thumb gently against the back of her neck with Vincent was not far away in the window seat, his legs stretched out in front of him, a drink in his hand.

Keelin peeked in on them, a sleepily blinking Finn in her arms.

"How is she?" Keelin asked.

"She'll be waking up soon," Vincent replied.

"Alright. I'll put Finn to bed and be back in a bit." Keelin left the room once more.

After another long moment of silence, Hope said, "Thank you, Vincent. I know dark magic isn't easy for you."

"The Hollow is gone, her power no longer tempts me and it was the only way for you to get your family back in full."

Before they could continue the conversation, Freya woke up, her gaze landing on her niece.

"Hope."

The ancient witch wrapped her arms around Hope, pressing her face against the younger woman's hair.

Finally, the tribrid found a place to belong, here at this school, helping others learn who they were and how to function in a world hostile to the supernatural. With Ryan never very far away, and able to visit her family whenever she had the chance, she was home.


End file.
